Background: With HRSA funding,the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and the Public Health Foundation have produced and distributed a Health Status Report for the 3,082 U.S. counties. Methods: Health measures most requested, used in other health improvement initiatives, and representative of community health were included in the CHSI report template. Those county-level health measures available from centralized, national databases were obtained; otherwise, estimates and state measures were supplied. Results: In addition to risk factors, preventive services, health resources, demographics, environmental health, deaths and birth data, two quality of life indicators were provided to most counties. Conclusions: Quality of life measures were provided to extend the breadth of indicators used, supply important measures of Healthy People 2010 Goals, inform communities about another aspect of health, and illustrate the utility of the BRFSS to county health assessment. The BRFSS is an important data source of quality of life measures for U.S. counties. A strategy to supply important local health should be considered as federal and state health agencies plan for the next decade--including consideration of sample size and statistical weighting for key variables.
Learning Objectives: 1. Find their county profile on the Internet. 2. Use the CHSI Health Status Report to quantify Goal 1 of Healthy People 2010: Increasing the length and quality of life lived. 3. Assess the utility of the BRFSS database for providing county information, including quality of life measures. 4. Analyze quality of life in the context of a range of health indicators. 5. Recognize the value of quality of life as an indicator which speaks to members of the public health community
Keywords: Quality of Life, Health Indices
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Health Services and Research Administration's Community Health Status Indicators Project Health Status Reports
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: The Public Health Foundation has a Cooperative Agreement with HRSA to produce the Community Health Status Report and distribute to state and local health departments and others.