A National Network of State and Local Health Surveys

National organizations, federal agencies, and the 2010 federal health care reform legislation have called for local- and state-level population health data collection to evaluate and monitor the nation's progress in improving health and eliminating health disparities. Existing federally-sponsored surveys provide important information about the health of the nation's population, but critical gaps remain in the kinds of data they collect, and especially in their ability to provide state and local health data. To fill these gaps, a number of states have developed innovative population health surveys to meet their own needs. Based on findings from a study of state health surveys conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and funded by several NIH Institutes and Offices, we are taking steps to form a National Network of State and Local Health Surveys. The study identified the need for technical assistance to promote comparability of survey questions and resulting data across states and localities. Statewide Local Health Surveys reported needing technical assistance including strategic planning and outreach to stakeholders, a “survey question bank” to promote use of comparable survey questions, and dissemination tools to maximize access to and use of statewide local health surveys data. These steps are expected to enhance the utility of the surveys for national, state and local health policy development, for research aimed at eliminating health and health care disparities, and for assessing the impact of health care reform.