overview finding and using health statistics and data files soc 398: social inequality and health...
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Overview
Finding and Using Health Statistics and Data FilesSoc 398: Social Inequality and Health
Darlene Fichter
Data Library Services, U of S Library
October 4, 2007
Overview
Why use data?Types of Data Resources in the Library and Internet:
Health Surveys– Aggregate data– Public Use Microdata Files– Surveys and Products
Finding a data fileUnderstanding data documentation
Data Tells a Story
Life expectancy at birth: by social class and sex, 1997-99, England &
Wales http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=1007
Men:
7.4 years
Manual workers die earlier than others
Finding the Stories
Debunking third-world myths with the best stats you've ever seen – Hans Rosling– Global Life Expectations– How can we use this data?
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/92
Social Inequality and Health
Advances of medical practice and science have been seen as the principal causes of increased human life expectancy
True False
Social Inequality and Health
Nutrition and improved living conditions are better indicator of population health
True False
What are some risk factors of lower socio-economic status?
SmokingLack of exerciseImmoderate eating and drinkingHigh fat/low fiber dietsMore stress - higher rates of ill health/deathLower of levels of social supportLive or work in environments hazardous to health
Overview
Part 1: Health Surveys
Health Statistics
Two main sources of data:– Special surveys by Statistics Canada– Administrative data
Collected by law – causes of death, notifiable diseases
Collected by Dept. of Health
Types of Data Files
Aggregate data files– Counts
Cases of measles in Saskatoon– Cross tabulations
Number of smokers in Saskatoon by age and sex
Table 105-0005 - Risk of depression, by age group and sex, household population aged 12 and over, Canada (Canadian Community Health Survey)
Age group Sex2000-01 Probable Risk of
Depression
12-19 years Males 3.4
Females 9.7
20-34 years Males 6.5
Females 11.1
35-44 years Males 6.1
Females 11.3
45-64 years Males 4.8
Females 8.6
65 years and over Males 2.3
Females 4.0
Microdata File
Raw data organized in a file where the records or lines in the file are observations of a specific unit of analysis
Each record or line is one person’s responses– Time use survey – exercising, shopping, working,
TV, gardening, eldercare
Cases 3 & 4 from the General Social Survey 2 Main File
Sex000031214110011982001212222221002098200121222222401121111241112121112205020197111971021212222225211026121204300140955720411313022111999901978787879702221411271412400315000616611232222222221111172626162212222666666636212000000020320222224222000022204141101101102111111122111000000210000000002100000000010000000000200000423300200200100000100200000041100110011101102122222221002009200212222222021111111231212111211208120193811938044122222221111052201203901007504721031191012233520406058787870304221303420708300400001420007111222122211721575656565555555666666656565000555500210222111111110000001111100001101112212122111011010110000110101100000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
ID
Public Use Microdata File - PUMF
Specially prepared file to minimize disclosure
“Master file” would have personal identifiers
Population Health Surveys1
Understand the determinants of healthCollect data on
EconomicSocialDemographic
Occupational and environmental correlationsCan impact public policy development
1 Health Survey information based on Michel B. Seguin’s “Health Statistics Information on the STC website”. December 2003.
Population Surveys
NPHS – National Population Health SurveyHousehold, institutional, north (territories)Geography - provincial
Products– Public Use Microdata Files (PUMF)
1994-19951996-19971998-1999
– Research Data Centre access2000-2001 2002-2003 2004-20052006-2007
NPHS is a longitudinal
survey. PUMF are not
longitudinal, due to the high risk of
disclosure.Inactive
NPHS
The NPHS, which relies on respondents' self-reported health information, surveys the same group of respondents every two years for up to 20 years
Population Surveys
Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)Common contentOptional content126/136 health regions, started September 2000
Year Respondents Geography
1 100,000+ Health Region, provinces, territories, Canada
2 30,000 Provinces / Canada
Canadian Community Health Survey
Cycle 1.1 – Large sample (2001)Cycle 1.2 – Mental Health (2002)Cycle 2.1 – Large Sample (2003)Cycle 2.2 – Nutrition (2004)Cycle 3.1 – Large Sample (2005)Cycle 3.2 – Canadian Health
Measures Survey (CHMS)
Article from Nutrition cycle
Health Indicators
Measures of health status, health system and factors that influence health
Based on comparable definitionsGeography
– Canada– Provinces– Regionally
Health Indicators
Health StatusHealth conditions, human function, well-being,
deathsHealth Determinants
Health behaviours, living & working conditions, personal resources(income), environmental factors
Health System PerformanceEffectiveness, accessibility, efficiency, safety …
Community/health system characteristics
Health Indicators
Many data sources– Statistics Canada
Vital statisticsSurveys
– Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)Provincial ministriesHealth CanadaHospital morbidity and discharge databases, …
Health Indicators
Has the notion of “peer groups” where Health regions with similar socio-economic characteristics are grouped
Products (free)– Publication online– Tables on Statistics Canada & CIHI web sites
Health Region Boundaries
Show your results spatially
Distribution gender differences in depression compared to Calgary Health Region
Comparable Health Indicators
Grew out of the First Minister’s meeting in 2000
14 areas of comparable health status and health system performance
GeographyProvincial
Comparable Health Indicators - Topics
Health Status– Live expectancy, infant mortality, low birth rate, self-reported health
Health Outcomes– Change in life expectancy, improved quality of life, reduced burden of
disease, illness or injuryQuality of Service
– Waiting times (selected services), patient satisfaction, Hospital readmission (selected), access to 24/7 first contact health services, home and community services, public health surveillance and protection, health promotion and disease prevention
Products
Available from Statistics Canada Web Site & CANSIM
Web Site:
http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/82-401-XIE/01002/tables.htm
Other Tables
Causes of DeathCancer Statistics
Health Canada's Notifiable Diseases Online
Infectious Diseases http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/id-mi/
Residential Care Facilities
Some older tables at CIHI, prior to 1999Custom tabulationOnline tables will be available for recent
survey
Health Information from CIHI
CIHI Topics
CIHI Products
Publicly available, aggregate-level dataAnalytic reports
– Links to Saskatchewan report of Comparable Health Statistics with a study on measles
More detailed statistics may make a custom data request
General Social Surveys
– Cycle 1 to Cycle 19 – Monitor changes in the health of Canadians and
to examine social support.– Cycles cover and repeat content and special
focus areas– Each cycle includes general socio-economic
variables
Cycle 1 - 10
Cycle Year Core Special Topic
1 1985 Health Social support
2 1986 Time Use, Social Mobility Language
3 1988 Personal Risk Victim services
4 1989 Education and Work No focus issue
5 1990 Family and Friends No focus issue
6 1991 Health Various topics
7 1992 Time Use Culture, sport and unpaid activities
8 1993 Personal Risk Alcohol and drug use
9 1994 Education, Work and Retirement Transition into retirement
10 1995 Family Effects of tobacco smoke
Cycle 8 - 19
Cycle Year Core Special Topic
11 1996 Social Support Tobacco use
12 1998 Time Use No focus issues
13 1999 VictimizationSpousal violence and senior abuse and Public perception toward alternatives to
imprisonment
14 2000Access To and Use of Information
Communication Technology
15 2001 Family History
16 2002 Social Support and Aging
17 2003 Social engagement
18 2004 Victimization
19 2005 Time use
Since 1994, health as core topic covered in NPHS, social support expanded in 1996.
General Social Survey 20 - 22
20 - Family Transitions Survey– Family data collected in cycle 5, 10, 15
21 - Family, Social Support and Retirement22 – Survey on Social networks
National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY)
Longitudinal survey designed to measure child development and well-being as children grow from infancy to childhood
Products– PUMF
1994-95-Cycle 11996-97-Cycle 21998-99-Cycle 3… Cycle 6 2004-2005
National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY)
ProductsCycle 1, 1994-1995 - Synthetic Files for Remote
Access to the Master Files Research Data Centre
Health and Activity Limitation Survey
Post-censual surveyProducts
– 1991 PUMF– 1996 PUMF
2001 - Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS)
2006 - Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS)
International
SourceOECD – Comparable statistics on health and health systems
across OECD countriesHealth status, expenditure, financingHealth care utilizationHealth care coveragePharmaceuticalNon-medical determinants to health
Some U.S. and European data
Human Activity and The Environment 2000
Human activity and its relationship to natural systems' air, water, soil, plants and animals
Aggregate tables
Questions
Overview
Part 2: Finding a Statistics and Data
Ways to Find Files
1. Library Catalogue2. Statistics Canada Catalogue3. Data Library Web Site4. Web Data Extractors, i.e.IDLS5. Talk to the Reference staff or Data Library
staff
1. The Catalogue
Use it when you know the name of the survey– Canadian Community Health Survey is footnoted in the
article Mental Health of Canada’s Immigrants.Searching by a topic
– StrategiesKeep it broad – “health” not measlesUse “statistics” or “codebook”
Change the scope to “Data and GIS Files”
2. Statistics Canada Catalogue
Enter your keywords: internet use
Look for the words public use microdata file or CANSIM
Look for free accessfrom our library
3. Data Library Web Site
Browse by subject Health
library.usask.ca/data
Topic browse
4. Very Specific Topics - Variables
Best betWeb extractor for data filesIDLS - from Western Ontario
Data Services & GIS
IDLS is listed in this
section.
4. Not sure? Ask us.
U of S has access to 1,000’s filesWe can:
Help you searchCheck for new releasesCut through the red tape
Phone: 966 - 5987Email: [email protected]
Overview
Part 4: Data Documentation
What is Data Documentation?
Material that accompanies the data fileInformation on
– Methodology & sampling– Questionnaire– Record layout– Weights– Frequencies– Syntax files (spss, sas)
Codebooks
Codebook
Any information on the structure, contents, and layout of a data file
Typically, it is used to refer to any or all of the accompanying documentation
It can include information on methodology, sample, record layout, questionnaire and data dictionary.
Questionnaire
Shows the survey questions in the order they were posed
Presents the response codesOften the directions for the interviewer and
skip patterns are indicated
“Did they ask about x? How did they phrase the question?
Excerpt
Data Dictionary
The data dictionary describes each variable in the data file
Typical information– Variable description– Question– Universe – who was asked this question, n= – Values for the variable and the # of cases– Length of the variable – 2 characters or 25– Position in the file – starts at column 97– Availability (suppressed)
Values and their codes
Wrap Up
Many health surveys and productsUseful for qualitative and quantitative studies
Data Library ServicesWe’re here to help you locate data files
Data documentationSave time – check to see if the variable is includedCheck the sample size – will your results be statistically
significant?Find the answer – just need a frequency?
4. Ask Data Library Staff
Office: 2nd Floor, Main LibraryAppointments recommendedEmail us at [email protected] us: 966-5987
Winnie Smit (7261)
Chipo Kangayi (8841)
Harpreet Aulakh (8841)
Elise Pietroniro (2677)
Rob Alary (5987)
Darlene Fichter (7209)
Questions