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External Data Sources

General information

Explore external sources for health-related data.

Vital Statistics Query System
Vital Statistics Query System provides tabular summaries and statistical reports from California’s birth and death vital statistics databases. Sample question: What was the age-adjusted death rate for males and females in San Mateo County in 2000?

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the world’s largest telephone survey, tracks health risks in the United States. Information from the survey is used to improve the health of the Americans.

California Department of Public Health
The California Department of Public Health “Data” page provides access to public health data and information, such as queries, resources, statistics, surveys, informatics, GIS, and health indicators.

CDC Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER)
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) WONDER provides access to CDC-published health reports, recommendations and guidelines, and public health articles. This site can be used to query public access datasets that provide numeric information on a wide-range of topics including vital statistics, cancer, HIV and AIDS, behavioral risk factors, diabetes, and census data.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention data and statistics webpage provides an alphabetical listing of statistics on topics of public health importance.

The EPI Center, California Injury Data Online
Epidemiology and Prevention for Injury Control provides data summaries and custom data tables regarding statewide injury information. Injury topics include homicide, suicide, pedestrian, motor vehicles, bicycles, older adults, firearms, and violence against women. For example, the EPIC would research how many firearm-related fatalities were there among men and women in San Mateo County in 2003. 

California Health Kids Survey (CHKS)
The California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) is a comprehensive youth self-report data collection system that provides essential and reliable health risk assessment and resilience information. Targeted at grades 5-12, the CHKS enables schools and communities to collect and analyze data regarding local youth health risks, assets, and behaviors.

California Health Interview Survey (CHIS)
The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) is a source of information on health and access to health care services. CHIS is a telephone survey of adults, adolescents, and children from all parts of the state. The survey is conducted every two years. CHIS is the largest state health survey, and one of the largest health surveys in the United States.

Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD)
Every six months, California-licensed hospitals are required to submit specific data on every patient discharged from their facilities. Reported data includes patient demographic information, such as age, sex, county of residence, and race/ethnicity, diagnostic information, treatment information, disposition, total charges, and expected payment. Data is available dating back to 1999.