Frequently Asked Questions
DC Health Matters is a web portal designed to help community-based organizations, hospitals, researchers and the local health department measure community health, share best practices, identify new funding sources and drive improved community health. The site contains health information specific to the District of Columbia as well as information related to the social determinants of health such as Transportation, Education, and the Economy. DC Health Matters was developed by the
Healthy Communities Institute and is managed by
Children's National Medical Center.
DC Health Matters is used by several audiences, including community based organizations, researchers, medical practitioners, students, local hospitals, elected officials, the local health department and residents of the District of Columbia.
People use the site to learn about the health status of the DC community, to assist in grant writing and grant applications, to learn about funding opportunities, to learn about programs within the District of Columbia and to share information about community events.
This website was initially funded by a grant supported by the National Institutes of Health through the Clinical and Translational Science Award. Furthermore the work was carried out by Children's National Medical Center, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Howard University, and Vanguard Communications. DC Health Matters website is now being supported and managed by the District of Columbia Healthy Communities Collaborative which is a collaborative consisting of Bread for the City, Children's National Medical Center, Community of Hope, Howard University Hospital, Providence Hospital, Sibley Memorial Hospital, and Unity Health Care, Inc.
An indicator describes an aspect of the population used to measure health or quality of life. Health indicators may include measurements of illness or disease, as well as behaviors and actions related to health.
The data comes from a variety of state and national sources, including the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control, the American Community Survey and the District of Columbia Department of Health. Most of the data is reported on an annual basis. Each indicator page includes the source of the data and, if available, the URL of the source.
The indicators on DC Health Matters are selected by the Healthy Communities Institute and the District of Columbia Healthy Communities Collaborative as being important in measuring, tracking and improving community health.
Common criteria we use in selecting indicators includes:
- Does the data add value?
- Is the data available? (Is there a local value, as well as a comparison value?)
- Is the data publicly available from a state or national source?
- Is the data reported at the city, ward, zip code or census tract level?
- Is the data scientifically valid? (Has it undergone a peer review process? Is the sample size adequate?)
- Will the data be replicated in the future?
- Does the indicator align with national goals for health improvement (Healthy People 2020 objectives)?
All of the indicators are arranged by topic (Health, Education, Economy, etc) and subtopic (Cancer, Diabetes, Built Environment, etc). However, you can also sort indicators by status (red / yellow / green).
To find data for a specific location, go to the
Community Dashboard, then select your desired location (city, ward, zip code or census tract). The dashboard will populate with all of the indicators on the site for the selected location.
Census tracts are small subdivisions of a county defined for the purpose of collecting and reporting data for the census. The minimum population for a census tract is 8,000 and the maximum is 1,200. Most census tracts average about 4,000 people. In the District of Columbia, there are 179 Census Tracts.
Use
American FactFinder to locate the census tract code for a specific street address. You can also
view a map of census tracts in the District of Columbia.
Many of the indicators are updated on an annual basis, although there are several indicators that are updated on a daily or monthly basis. If you see something that is out of date, please let us know.
The
Indicator Comparison Report is a tool that allows you to compare data across multiple regions. Enter keywords to search for your indicator(s) of interest, and select the geographies that you would like to compare.
From the home page, type your keyword into the search box and then view your results.
Healthy People 2020 provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. Healthy People encourages collaborations across communities and sectors, empowers individuals toward making informed health decisions and measures the impact of prevention activities. Click
here to learn more.
The Healthy People 2020 targets specify very narrow definitions for the indicators (e.g., by ICD-10 codes or very specific populations, such as high schoolers grades 9-12). We link indicators to their associated Healthy People 2020 targets whenever possible, but there must be an *exact match* between the Healthy People 2020 definition and the source's definition. If the ICD-10 codes do not match, we do not link the targets.
Regional Comparison Indicators:
The distinct green/yellow/red gauge provides a visual representation of how your community is doing compared to other communities. The local value is assigned a status (green = excellent, yellow = fair, red = poor) based on how that value ranks in comparison to other communities. For indicators where a high value is good, such as Adults with Health Insurance, each indicator is assigned a green value if the value is better than or equal to the 50th percentile, yellow if the value is between the 50th percentile and the 25th percentile and red if the value is less than the 25th percentile. For indicators where a low value is good, such as Adults who are Obese, each indicator is assigned a green value if the value is lower than the 50th percentile, yellow if the value is between the 50th percentile and the 75th percentile and red if the value is greater than the 75th percentile.The median is the cut-off between the green and yellow ranking.
Average Comparison Indicators:
The fuzzy green/yellow/red and blue/white gauges show how the District of Columbia value compares with the median or mean U.S. value, or how the Ward level value compares with the D.C. value. The gauge is blue and white when being higher (or lower) is not necessarily good or bad and is multi-colored when being higher (or lower) is good or bad.
Time Period Comparison Indicators:
This gauge shows how the current value compares to the previous measurement period. A green arrow means the value is improving and a red arrow means the value is getting worse. The = (equal) sign means that there is not a significant increase or decrease since the last measurement period. A blue arrow means the value being higher (or lower) is not necessarily good or bad. These indicators are typically used when distribution data is not available or when trend data seem more relevant and important as compared to other locales. This gauge is also useful to highlight when a measure compares favorably to other communities, but the measure is actually moving in the wrong direction.
Compare to Target Indicators:
This gauge shows whether or not the District of Columbia or Ward value meets a specific target. The District of Columbia or Ward value is represented by the left bar and the target value by the right bar. If the District of Columbia or Ward value is green, the target has been met. If the District of Columbia or Ward value is red, the target has not been met.
The level of comparison depends on the source and methodology of the data, as well as the type of indicator gauge. If the data comes from a national source collected at the county-level, the District of Columbia value will typically be compared to a distribution of all U.S. counties. If the data is collected at the state level, the District of Columbia value will be compared to a distribution of all 50 U.S. States and the District of Columbia. If distribution or average data is not available, the District of Columbia value will typically be compared to the Prior Value.
To find the population for the District of Columbia, a specific ward or zip code, go to the
Demographics page.
Demographics data describe characteristics of a population such as gender, race, age, homeownership, income level and employment status. The demographics on DC Health Matters is provided by The Nielsen Company and includes data at the city, ward and zip code level.
Please email your suggestions for data to add to the site by clicking "Find Data" > "Submit Data". Please ensure that the data meets our Community Indicator Data Standards and Criteria for consideration of proposed new indicators, which can be found in the
Editorial Policy.
Some indicators have data available at the city level only, whereas other indicators have data available at both the city level and ward, or census tract level. All indicators for a given geography appear within the Community Dashboard when that geography is selected from the drop-down menus.
Age-adjustment is a statistical process applied to rates of disease or death that allows communities with different age structures to be compared. This is important because most diseases and health outcomes occur at different rates in different age groups. For example, cancer is more commonly associated with older populations.
Historical data is available for most indicators on the site, and can be found in the "Time Series" graph towards the bottom of each indicator page.
DC Health Matters includes a list of local programs being implemented within the District of Columbia, as well as programs being implemented in other communities throughout the U.S. To identify local programs, go to the
Promising Programs page and look for a "LOCAL" tag. You can also type Washington, D.C. or other keywords into the search box on the Promising Programs page.
The Promising Programs database is a collection of best practices from around the country aimed at improving community health. The programs are added by researchers at Healthy Communities Institute, as well as communities throughout the country using the Healthy Communities system.
To add your organization's program to DC Health Matters, complete the
Promising Practices Submission Form. The staff at Healthy Communities Institute will review your submission and decide if it meets HCI criteria for the database. If it meets HCI criteria, your program will be posted on the site.
Appropriate local initiatives include community-focused, health-related initiatives, such as health fair screenings for a certain health condition, new programs aimed at reducing a certain health condition, and information on community based groups or individuals that are doing exceptional work to improve overall community health. Please make sure to review the
Guidelines for Submitting Promising Practices to ensure your program meets the criteria.
View
Funding Opportunities to see a list of national and local funding opportunities available on a variety of health topics. This list is current and updated on a regular basis.
DC Health Matters does have a list serve. By going under the Share and Take Action area of the website, one can include their email to be included in the list serve.
Click Share and Take Action and then select Contribute Content. Select the appropriate option and submit your idea. Once you complete your submission, a member of DC Health Matters will review it and add it to the site if appropriate.
Let us know. We love
feedback.
Please contact Children's National Medical Center, Child Health Data Lab at
dchealthmatters2013@gmail.com.