Data Sources

The BFRSS is a state-based system of health surveys that generates information about health risk behaviors, clinical preventative practices, and health care access and use primarily related to chronic diseases and injury. States use standardized procedures to collect data through monthly telephone interviews.

The Surveillance Resource Center provides members of the public health surveillance community organized, easy access to guidance developed by CDC and its partners for improving the practice of surveillance. Public health surveillance refers to the collection, analysis, and use of data to target public health prevention. It is the foundation of public health practice.

CARES' mission is to link public information and spatial dynamics for timely policy decision-support, through interactive visualization and spatial analysis. In 2008, CARES merged with the former Community Information Resource Center (CIRC) and Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI).

Data related to birth, death, aging, health, disease, marriage in the United States.

The University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study (HRS) surveys more than 22,000 Americans over the age of 50 every two years. With data going back to 1992, the study paints an emerging portrait of an aging America's physical and mental health, insurance coverage, financial status, family support systems, labor market status, and retirement planning.

Since 1984, the Demographic and Health Surveys project has provided technical assistance to more than 240 surveys in over 85 countries, advancing global understanding of health and population trends in developing countries. DHS has earned a worldwide reputation for collecting and disseminating accurate, nationally representative data on fertility, family planning, maternal and child health, gender, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and nutrition. The MEASURE DHS project is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) is a set of large-scale surveys of families and individuals, their medical providers, and employers across the United States. MEPS is the most complete source of data on the cost and use of health care and health insurance coverage.

The National Center for Health Statistics is a large collection of data on health and vital statistics, including births, aging, marriages, health care, physical activity, morbidity and mortality.

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.

A nationally representative study that explores the causes of health-related behaviors of adolescents in grades 7 through 12 and their outcomes in young adulthood. Add Health seeks to examine how social contexts (families, friends, peers, schools, neighborhoods, and communities) influence adolescents' health and risk behaviors.

A collaboration of U.S. government agencies, public health organizations and health sciences libraries providing data and information including health trends, CDC statistics, global health rates, and access to data sets.

Data from a number of survey programs including Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) on topics such as Child Survival and Health, Child Nutrition, Maternal Health, Newborn Care, Water & Sanitation, Education, Child Protection, HIV/AIDS, Millenium Development Goals. Browse by country, topic, or table.

The World Health Organization's World Health Statistics reports are collated from publications and databases produced by WHO's technical programmes and regional offices. The core set of indicators was selected on the basis of their relevance to global health, the availability and quality of the data, and the accuracy and comparability of estimates. The statistics for the indicators are derived from an interactive process of data collection, compilation, quality assessment and estimation occurring among WHO's technical programmes and its Member States. During this process, WHO strives to maximize the accessibility, accuracy, comparability and transparency of health statistics.