Assessing Community Needs and Resources:
Example 7 - Possible Community Health Indicators
Adapted from Table 5-1, in Durch, J.S., Bailey, L.A., & Stoto, M.A. (Eds.) Improving Health in the Community: A Role for Performance Monitoring/ Committee on Using Performance Monitoring to Improve Community Health. Washington, D.C.: National
| Indicator Topic | Field Model Domain | Data Sources |
| Sociodemographic Characteristics | ||
| 1. Age and race/ethnicity | Social environment (behavior, genetics) | Census; intercensal estimates |
| 2. Groups whose access to community services or resources may be limited | Social environment (behavior, physical environment, prosperity) | Census; intercensal estimates |
| 3. Educational attainment (high school graduation) | Social environment (behavior, physical environment, prosperity, well-being) | Census; intercensal estimates |
| 4. High school dropouts | Social environment (disease, behavior, physical environment, prosperity) | Local school districts |
| 5. Household income | Prosperity (behavior, social environment, physical environment, health care, health and function) | Census; intercensal estimates |
| 6. Children in poverty | Social environment, prosperity (behavior, physical environment, health care, health and function) | Census; intercensal estimates |
| 7. Unemployment rate | Social environment, prosperity (behavior, physical environment, health care, health and function, well-being) | State employment security office |
| 8. Single-parent families | Social environment (behavior, physical environment, health care, prosperity, well-being) | Census; intercensal estimates |
| 9. Persons without health insurance | Social environment, health care (disease, health and function, prosperity) | Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (special sampling) |
| 10. Infant mortality | Disease, genetics, social environment, behavior, physical environment, health care, prosperity | State vital records |
| 11. Death rates, overall and for selected causes | Disease, genetics, behavior, social environment, physical environment, health care, prosperity | State vital records |
| 12. Incidence of AIDS, measles, tuberculosis, syphilis | Disease, behavior, social environment, health care (prosperity, health and function, well-being) | State communicable disease records |
| 13. Births to adolescents | Behavior, social environment (prosperity, well-being) | State vital records |
| 14. Child abuse and neglect | Behavior, social environment (disease, physical environment, health care, well-being) | State or local child protection agency records |
| Health Risk Factors | ||
| 15. Preschool immunization | Behavior, health care (social environment, prosperity) | Community survey; retrospective estimates from school entry records; immunization registry |
| 16. Older adult immunization | Behavior, health care (social environment, prosperity) | Medicare claims files; health plan records |
| 17. Prevalence of smoking | Disease, behavior, social environment, physical environment, health and function (health care, prosperity) | Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (special sampling) |
| 18. Prevalence of obesity | Behavior, health and function (genetics, social environment, health care, well-being) | Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (special sampling) |
| 19. Air quality | Disease, physical environment (social environment, well-being) | State environmental quality agency; local air quality management agency |
| 20. Water quality (for recreational uses) | Physical environment (behavior, social environment, well-being) | State environmental quality agency |
| Health Care Resource Consumption | ||
| 21. Per capita Medicare spending | Health care, prosperity | Health Care Financing Administration |
| Functional Status | ||
| 22. Self-reported health status | Health and function, well-being | Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (special sampling) |
| 23. Recent poor health | Health and function, well-being | Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (special sampling) |
| Quality of Life | ||
| 24. Satisfaction with health care system | Health care, well-being (social environment, prosperity, health and function) | Community survey |
| 25. Satisfaction with quality of life | Well-being (behavior, social environment, physical environment, health care, prosperity, health and function | Community survey |
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