Research Guides: Public Health Research Guide: Secondary Data Sources

Secondary Data Sources

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Healthcare Statistics, Data
1000 Genomes Project
The 1000 Genomes Project ran between 2008 and 2015, creating the largest public catalogue of human variation and genotype data.
Data.gov
The government’s open data source with almost 200,00 datasets ranges in topics from health, agriculture, climate, ecosystems, public safety, finance, energy and manufacturing to oceans, education and business. Search by topic, or use query button to browse all categories at once.
Federal Reserve Economic Data - FRED - St. Louis Fed
Download, graph, and track 397000 economic time series from 79 sources.
ICPSR, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
An international consortium of more than 750 academic institutions and research organizations, ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for the social science research community.

ICPSR maintains a data archive of more than 250,000 files of research in the social sciences. It hosts 16 specialized collections of data in education, aging, criminal justice, substance abuse, terrorism, and other fields.
Multiple Indictor Cluster Survey (MICS)
UNICEF assists countries in collecting and analyzing data in order to fill data gaps for monitoring the situation of children and women through its international household survey initiative the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS).

UNICEF has strategically invested in data collection and helped transform the data landscape for more than 20 years. The global Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) programme is the centerpiece of this strategy. UNICEF supports governments in carrying out these household surveys through a global programme of methodological research and technical assistance in settings as diverse as Argentina, Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq. MICS findings have been used extensively as a basis for policy decisions and programme interventions, and for the purpose of influencing public opinion on the situation of children and women around the world.
OpenWeatherMap
Access to current weather, forecasts, maps and historical data in JSON, XML, and HTML formats. Free API key and API search query required to access the data.
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Data
UNICEF has strategically invested in data collection and helped transform the data landscape for more than 20 years. The global Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) programme is the centerpiece of this strategy. UNICEF supports governments in carrying out these household surveys through a global programme of methodological research and technical assistance in settings as diverse as Argentina, Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq. MICS findings have been used extensively as a basis for policy decisions and programme interventions, and for the purpose of influencing public opinion on the situation of children and women around the world.

All available MICS results and datasets can be accessed on mics.unicef.org. The results from the most recent MICS5 surveys, carried out in 2012-2015, are becoming progressively available.
Twitter
The REST APIs provide programmatic access to read and write Twitter data.
UK-AIR database
The UK-AIR database provides access to air quality data for specific collecting sites in the United Kingdom.
World Values Survey (WVS)
The World Values Survey (www.worldvaluessurvey.org) is a global network of social scientists studying changing values and their impact on social and political life, led by an international team of scholars, with the WVS association and secretariat headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.

The survey, which started in 1981, seeks to use the most rigorous, high-quality research designs in each country. The WVS consists of nationally representative surveys conducted in almost 100 countries which contain almost 90 percent of the world’s population, using a common questionnaire. The WVS is the largest non-commercial, cross-national, time series investigation of human beliefs and values ever executed, currently including interviews with almost 400,000 respondents. Moreover the WVS is the only academic study covering the full range of global variations, from very poor to very rich countries, in all of the world’s major cultural zones.

The WVS seeks to help scientists and policy makers understand changes in the beliefs, values and motivations of people throughout the world. Thousands of political scientists, sociologists, social psychologists, anthropologists and economists have used these data to analyze such topics as economic development, democratization, religion, gender equality, social capital, and subjective well-being. These data have also been widely used by government officials, journalists and students, and groups at the World Bank have analyzed the linkages between cultural factors and economic development.

Health Survey Data

Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)
The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program has collected, analyzed, and disseminated accurate and representative data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition through more than 300 surveys in over 90 countries.
Health Data Initiative- the health related division of data.gov
Health Data Initiative- the health related division of data.gov
Over 2800 online data sets accessible to entrepreneurs, researchers, and policy makers; including clinical care provider quality information, nationwide health service provider directories, databases of the latest medical and scientific knowledge, consumer product data, community health performance information, government spending data and much more.
Health Services Research Information Central
A data repository site linking to over 80 federal, non-federal and other data bases ranging from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) which provides access to a plethora of data and surveys on healthcare access, expenditures, quality, etc. to Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), an interactive database system that provides customized reports of injury-related data, to National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics (NCVAS) USA, which links to data sources and data sets within the VA. Includes instructions on how to request permission to access VA data.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The survey is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations. NHANES is a major program of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)…The survey examines a nationally representative sample of about 5,000 persons each year. The NHANES interview includes demographic, socioeconomic, dietary, and health-related questions. The examination component consists of medical, dental, and physiological measurements, as well as laboratory tests administered by highly trained medical personnel.

Findings from this survey will be used to determine the prevalence of major diseases and risk factors for diseases. Information will be used to assess nutritional status and its association with health promotion and disease prevention. NHANES findings are also the basis for national standards for such measurements as height, weight, and blood pressure. Data from this survey will be used in epidemiological studies and health sciences research, which help develop sound public health policy, direct and design health programs and services, and expand the health knowledge for the Nation.
Youth Risk Behavioral Survey System (YRBSS)
The YRBSS was developed in 1990 to monitor priority health risk behaviors that contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in the United States. These behaviors, often established during childhood and early adolescence, include
• Behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence.
• Sexual behaviors related to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV infection.
• Alcohol and other drug use.
• Tobacco use.
• Unhealthy dietary behaviors.
• Inadequate physical activity.

In addition, the YRBSS monitors the prevalence of obesity and asthma and other priority health-related behaviors plus sexual identity and sex of sexual contacts.
From 1991 through 2015, the YRBSS has collected data from more than 3.8 million high school students in more than 1,700 separate surveys.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS)
In 1984, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiated the state-based Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)--a cross-sectional telephone survey that state health departments conduct monthly over landline telephones and cellular telephones with a standardized questionnaire and technical and methodologic assistance from CDC. BRFSS is used to collect prevalence data among adult U.S. residents regarding their risk behaviors and preventive health practices that can affect their health status.
California Women’s Health Survey (CWHS)
The California Women's Health Survey (CWHS) is an annually conducted survey about women's health and serves as a catalyst for innovative solutions that impact the health of California's women and girls.
The Survey was established to provide information to policy-makers and health professionals about women's health and to serve as a catalyst for innovative solutions that impact the health of California's women and girls. The Women's Health Survey is a unique collaborative interdepartmental and private industry effort between the California Departments of Public Health, Health Care Services, Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Programs and Social Services and private partners the California Medical Review, Inc. (aka Lumetra) and the Public Health Institute.
National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG)
The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) gathers information on family life, marriage and divorce, pregnancy, infertility, use of contraception, and men's and women's health. The survey results are used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and others to plan health services and health education programs, and to do statistical studies of families, fertility, and health.
Office of Minority Health
The Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was created in 1986 as one of the most significant outcomes of the landmark 1985 Secretary's Task Force Report on Black and Minority Health. The mission of the Office of Minority Health is to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities.

Women and Pregnancy Data

Listening to Mothers
Childbirth Connection's landmark national Listening to Mothers surveys capture the views of those who care most about maternity issues: mothers themselves.
The surveys cover the time from before pregnancy through the postpartum and infant periods, and shed light on women's attitudes, beliefs, preferences and knowledge on a broad range of topics, as well as their maternity care experiences and family and employment life. They report on many items that are not otherwise gathered at the national level. Survey results also reveal gaps between women's actual experiences and experiences they should have in light of their preferences, best maternity care practice and their legal rights. They thus point to opportunities for improvement and inform policy, practice, education and research.
National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG)
The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) gathers information on family life, marriage and divorce, pregnancy, infertility, use of contraception, and men's and women's health. The survey results are used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and others to plan health services and health education programs, and to do statistical studies of families, fertility, and health.
California Women’s Health Survey (CWHS)
The California Women's Health Survey (CWHS) is an annually conducted survey about women's health and serves as a catalyst for innovative solutions that impact the health of California's women and girls.
The Survey was established to provide information to policy-makers and health professionals about women's health and to serve as a catalyst for innovative solutions that impact the health of California's women and girls. The Women's Health Survey is a unique collaborative interdepartmental and private industry effort between the California Departments of Public Health, Health Care Services, Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Programs and Social Services and private partners the California Medical Review, Inc. (aka Lumetra) and the Public Health Institute.
Multiple Indictor Cluster Survey (MICS)
UNICEF assists countries in collecting and analyzing data in order to fill data gaps for monitoring the situation of children and women through its international household survey initiative the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS).

UNICEF has strategically invested in data collection and helped transform the data landscape for more than 20 years. The global Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) programme is the centerpiece of this strategy. UNICEF supports governments in carrying out these household surveys through a global programme of methodological research and technical assistance in settings as diverse as Argentina, Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq. MICS findings have been used extensively as a basis for policy decisions and programme interventions, and for the purpose of influencing public opinion on the situation of children and women around the world.
Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
PRAMS, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, is a surveillance project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments. Developed in 1987, PRAMS collects state-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy. PRAMS surveillance currently covers about 83% of all U.S. births.

State and Local Public Health Data Sets

AAPR's State Data Center - (AARP) - The AARP Public Policy Institute analyzes and publishes a wide range of state-specific data related to Americans over 50

America's Health Rankings - (United Health Foundation) - Provides a comprehensive perspective on national health issues, state by state. The rankings feature an interactive map to explore health statistics and compare states side-by-side.

Area Resource File - (Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)) - The Area Resource File is a collection of data from more than 50 sources.

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) - State-based system of health surveys that collects information on health risk behaviors, preventive health practices, and health care access primarily related to chronic disease and injury.

California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) - (National Cancer Institute, NIH (NCI)) - Provides public health information for California's diverse population. Results on a variety of health topics are produced for the entire state and most counties.

CHARTing Health Information for Texas - Provides a comprehensive collection of links to publicly available, localized or geographically discreet health data, community characteristics data and sociodemographic data for the state of Texas.

Children of Immigrants Data Tool - (Urban Institute (UI)) - Generate charts on the characteristics of children, age 0 to 17, for the United States and for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data come from the 2005 and 2006 American Community Survey.

CLIKS: Community-Level Information on Kids - This website brings together data on the well-being of children collected by KIDS COUNT grantees from state and local sources. The unique system allows users to access state-specific inventories of data from local sources, such as health departments, human services agencies, and schools.

Community Health Status Indicators (CHSI) - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.) - County-specific data and reports on health status indicators. States and counties can use the indicators to check county health status in comparison to Healthy People 2010 targets, compare one's county to peers and the U.S., and characterize the overall health of the county and its citizens to support health planning.

County Health Rankings - (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), University of Wisconsin) - Provides county-by-county health rankings in each of the 50 states, explanations of each health factor, and actionable strategies to improve the health of communities across the nation.

Data Resource Center for Child & Adolescent Health - (Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI)) - Allows users to search and display charts and tabular findings from individual survey items as well as derived key child health measures from the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) and the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN). The user-friendly site can display state profiles, rankings, and information for key demographic groups (e.g., child's age, sex, race and ethnicity, household income, insurance status and type).

Diversitydata.org - (Center for Advancing Health USA, Harvard School of Public Health) - Diversitydata.org allows visitors to explore how metropolitan areas throughout the U.S. perform on a diverse range of social measures that comprise a well-rounded life experience. The site provides access to socioeconomic indicators for metropolitan areas in the form of tables, thematic maps, and customizable reports.

EPICenter - California Injury Data Online - (California Department of Health) - (California Department of Health) Interactive website with fatal and nonfatal injury data for California residents beginning in 1991.

EpiQMS - (Pennsylvania Department of Health) - the Epidemiologic Query and Mapping System (EpiQMS) is an interactive health statistics web site that can produce numbers, rates, graphs, charts, maps, and county profiles using various demographic variables (age, sex, race, etc.) from birth, death, cancer and population datasets for the state of PA and its counties.

Florida CHARTS - Florida Public Health Statistics - (Florida Department of Health) - Provides access to Florida's health data at the community and statewide level including access to over 2,000 health indicators, county and state profile reports, county and census tract level maps, and queriable data access.

Kaiser state health facts - Provides free, up-to-date, and easy-to-use health data on all 50 states. Statehealthfacts.org provides data on more than 450 health topics and is linked to both the Kaiser Family Foundation website (www.kff.org) and KaiserNetwork.org (www.kaisernetwork.org).

KIDS COUNT State-Level Data Online - (Annie E. Casey Foundation) - State-level data for over 100 measures of child well-being, including all the measures regularly used in the KIDS COUNT Data Book and The Right Start for America's Newborns. The online database allows you to generate custom reports for a geographic area (Profiles) or to compare geographic areas on a topic.

Massachusetts Community Health Information Profile (MassCHIP) - (Masschusetts Department of Public Health) - Online access to health and social indicators for Massachusetts. Users can obtain community-level data to assess health needs, monitor health status indicators, and evaluate health programs.

Missouri Information for Community Assessment - (Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services) - MICA (Missouri Information for Community Assessment) is an interactive, intervention planning system for public health practitioners and community stakeholders. MICA has three primary tools: Data MICA (data and statistics for needs assessment); Priorities MICA (facts and figures to guide priority-setting); and Intervention MICA (information, tools and resources for intervention design, implementation, and evaluation).

National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs Data Resource Center - (Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration (MCHB)) - The Data Resource Center website delivers hands-on access to national, state and regional data from the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs (NS-CSHCN) - the first-ever survey of families sponsored by the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) Data Resource Center - (Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration (MCHB)) - The Data Resource Center website delivers hands-on access to national, state, and regional data from the National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH) - the second survey of families sponsored by the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau designed to complement the 2001 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs by providing data on the health and well-being of the general child population.

New Hampshire Health Data Inventory - (New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice) - Inventory of New Hampshire health data sources and reports.

North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics - (North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics (SCHS)) - The State Center for Health Statistics is committed to supplying health statistics which can inform state and county health policies and programs.

Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council - An independent state agency responsible for addressing the problem of escalating health costs, ensuring the quality of health care, and increasing access for all citizens regardless of ability to pay.

PeriStats - Developed by the March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center with funding from the National Institutes of Health, PeriStats provides free access to maternal & infant health-related data at the U.S., state, county, and city level.

Public Health Snapshots by State - (National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH)) - Compilation of public health data for each state including education and training sources, community health statistics, public health partnerships, board of health state statutes, and more.

Quick Health Data Online - (Office on Women's Health, HHS (OWH)) - National, regional, state and county data are available by gender, race, ethnicity, and age. You can make your own custom tables, graphs, and maps.

Safety Net Monitoring - (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)) - Baseline data and tools to help monitor the status of local safety nets in providing health care to low-income and other vulnerable populations.

SMART: Selected Metropolitan/Micropolitan Area Risk Trends - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) - Provides Data Comparisons by Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area (MMSA).

SNAPS: Snap Shots of State Population Data - (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) - SNAPS provides local-level community profile information nationwide. It can be browsed by county and state and searched by zip code. SNAPS serves as a valuable tool when responding to public health emergency events at the state, Tribal, and local levels.

State Cancer Profiles - (National Cancer Institute, NIH (NCI)) - Descriptive cancer statistics to help prioritize cancer control efforts. The focus is on cancer sites for which there are known, preventable risk factors or screening tests for early detection and effective treatment options.

State Data Resources - (Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) U.S.) - Links to individual state health data sources.

State Estimates of Depression: 2004 and 2005 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) - (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)) - The NSDUH Report: State Estimates of Depression, 2004 & 2005, is based on SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted by the Office of A

Data & Statistics | IDPH

A compendium of databases and datafiles used within IDPH which lists variables collected, contacts, limitations on data use and other information.