On this guide
This guide was put together to offer quick access to some of the resources that gather statistics and data related to diseases and health related concerns. Categories were assigned to assist in determining which type or location might work best for your research need. Additional resources and recommendations for this guide are welcome.
This guide cannot contain all that is available and more is being created all the time. If you don't find what you need and have done additional exploring, you can reach out to a librarian.
- Finding and Using Health Statisticsfrom the NICHSR-a self study tutorial
What do you need?
Note: credit to Will Dean of Temple University for this information.
Raw Data vs. Statistics
Before diving into the data access options available from the CDC, first consider what kind of data you are looking for: raw data or statistics.
Raw Data
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Raw data is unprocessed or mostly unprocessed data collected by researchers and is not usually interpretable without statistical analysis.
- Raw data will likely have variable names that are not human readable and need to be decoded by a data dictionary or guide, and the data will need to be weighted correctly during analysis.
- Raw data may include different demographic populations and variables in the same dataset, such as adults aged 18-24 in Bergan County, NJ who were injured by a vehicle, or Native Americans living in North Dakota who were injured at work. If you plan on doing your own statistical analysis of data, using SAS, SPSS, R or another statistical software, you should look for raw data.
Statistics
- Statistics are processed data derived from raw data and are usually presented in a human readable format.
- Statistics are already weighted and can be used as is in a research paper by displaying a table of variables and values, or quoting a statistic, like “During August 2020–February 2021, the percentage of adults with recent symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder increased from 36.4% to 41.5%.” (Vahratian A, Blumberg SJ, Terlizzi EP, Schiller JS. Symptoms of Anxiety or Depressive Disorder and Use of Mental Health Care Among Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, August 2020–February 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021;70:490–494. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7013e2)
Licensed Access through NU Libraries
- Sage Data This link opens in a new windowSage Data is a collection of U.S. and international datasets sourced from governmental, commercial, and private organizations. Sage Data allows you to search and browse millions of datasets, compare and contrast variables of interest, and create customized exportable charts and tables. Includes the Claritas Consumer Profiles dataset.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowBrings together data and graphs on every imaginable topic from business to government, surveys, sports, and scientific topics. Easy to use, exportable charts and data, recommended citations.
- ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research) This link opens in a new windowA non-profit membership-based data archive based at University of Michigan. ICPSR maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction. You must register for a myData account in order to access some reports.
Mapping Databases
- SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new windowA mapping and data visualization application including demographic data from the US Census dating back to 1980, the American Community Survey (ACS), consumer spending data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CEX), CDC PLACES health data, and D&B's Points-of-Interest business directory. Additionally, users have access to the MRI-SimmonsLOCAL consumer behavior dataset, which includes data on over 8,000 brands, 450 categories and detailed lifestyle data. This resource is limited to 2 users at a time. Registration is required to save work between sessions.
- PolicyMap This link opens in a new windowPolicyMap is a mapping tool for accessing data on demographics, real estate, health, jobs, and more. Supports research about communities across the U.S.
- Social Explorer This link opens in a new windowGeographic resource that brings together a vast and growing amount of quantitative data with an intuitive visual interface to make demographic research, the analysis of social trends, and comparison of neighborhoods, communities, counties, and other areas accessible and interactive. Access is limited to 5 users at a time.
Books to help
A Practical Approach to Using Statistics in Health Research by Call Number: ebookPublication Date: 2018A hands-on guide to using statistics in health research, from planning, through analysis, and on to reporting
Analyzing Qualitative Data by Call Number: ebookPublication Date: 2018This book tackles the challenges of how to make sense of qualitative data. It offers students and researchers a hands-on guide to the practicalities of coding, comparing data, and using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis.
Health Data Sharing to Support Better Outcomes by Call Number: Ebook-NCBI BookshelfISBN: 9780309705097Publication Date: 2023Additional authors: The Learning Health System Series; Kristin L. Carman (Editor); Claudia Grossmann (Editor); Maryan Zirkle (Editor); Inez Adams (Editor); Sameer Siddiqi (Editor); Mahnoor Ahmed (Editor); Danielle Whicher (Editor)
This Special Publication outlines a number of potentially valuable policy changes and actions that will help drive toward effective, efficient, and ethical data sharing, including more compelling and widespread communication efforts to improve awareness, understanding, and participation in data sharing.
Citing Statistics Resources
Citing can be a challenge when looking at the variety of sources and formats that statistical information comes in. Here are a few helpful sources.