This article is written by Caleigh Paster, Programme Coordinator for the Health Dashboard Project at New York University School of Medicine, Department of Population Health.

  • The problem: Data on health and its drivers has been historically difficult to access at the city and neighbourhood levels.
  • Why it matters: When making public health policy decisions and figuring out where to focus community resources, local data is helpful in forming an evidence-based approach to support initiatives for improved health.
  • The solution: Democratising local data through health dashboards supports data-driven approaches to improving community health while simultaneously uplifting health efforts nationwide.

From the Covid-19 pandemic to the mental health crisis, health concerns remain a recurring theme for public leaders. Even with our world’s best efforts, one question remains: how can we move towards a healthier future?

Public leaders who oversee policies and health programmes need a reliable source of data on health and its drivers.

Health disparities vary from the local to the national level, as do the challenges that come with addressing them, highlighting the need to understand which populations are most vulnerable to improve health outcomes as a whole. That’s where data comes in.

What gets measured gets done

There is a saying that what gets measured gets done. Public leaders who oversee policies and health programmes need a reliable source of data on health and its drivers. That way, their efforts can focus on moving from data to action as they work to build a more equitable future.

But where can this type of dataset be found? For US cities, let’s start with the City Health Dashboard (CHDB).

The City Health Dashboard was created in 2018 to serve as a one-stop resource for unbiased, reliable health metrics at the local level. The CHDB is a free, online tool with access to metrics ranging from health outcomes and behaviours like breast cancer deaths and smoking to drivers of health, such as income inequality, park access, and clinical care metrics. There are other data tools that focus on states, counties and metro areas, but the City Health Dashboard is the only resource centred on measuring the health of cities and neighbourhoods.

To date, the CHDB provides over 40 health metrics in 900+ cities throughout the US. Efforts to expand data to even more cities are underway, including the annual Put Us on the Map Challenge which aims to add new small to midsize cities with populations between 3,000 to 50,000.

Using data to affect change

Not only is this data more specific to cities than county-level or state-level data, but the CHDB also works to be a resource for local change-making. The Take Action centre is a curated list of resources to empower policymakers and community leaders to use the data to make a positive impact. Once a health challenge has been identified in their city, these tools provide a guide to intervene and build a healthier future.

Thousands of people across the country are already using the City Health Dashboard to make a difference in their neighbourhoods. Even large organisations are using this data as they work to become the architects of change.

Designing the future of health

Invest Health is an initiative to overcome community health challenges through targeted investments in small and midsize cities. Their work requires assessing the social determinants of health, like housing, safety, transportation and education, to determine where to invest in built environment projects, such as affordable housing, medical clinics and community centres. This was easier said than done prior to the City Health Dashboard as the data was spread out, difficult to assemble and time-consuming to scope through.

While these data resources are paving the way to a better tomorrow, understanding how and when to use the dashboards can be overwhelming.

Grand Rapids, Michigan came across the CHDB when working with Invest Health. The level of granularity and visualisation provided by the site allowed the team to identify patterns, make connections and establish actionable steps to address the social and economic factors influencing health. The Grand Rapids team used a wide variety of health metrics, from income inequality and unemployment to life expectancy, to find the high-need areas and use investments to make exciting strides towards better health. This is just one example of how understanding city-level data on health, socioeconomic factors and demographics can help policy leaders align their resources to combat the challenges their community is facing.

Local data is an important piece of building a more equitable future. But policy leaders on the national level can also benefit from accessible data to institute agendas that benefit their community as well as the nation.

New Congressional district data

For elected officials, the new Congressional District Health Dashboard (CDHD) is the best place to start digging through data. Covering all 435 districts plus Washington DC, this dashboard will similarly provide metrics on all aspects of health. From air quality to broadband access to rates of uninsured individuals, the Congressional District Health Dashboard shares these health-related metrics for free as an easy-to-use online tool. Geared towards members of Congress and their staff, the CDHD aims to provide data that can be used to help policymakers enact positive change on identified health issues in their districts.

Improving health is challenging, but making health metrics more accessible is one step on the road towards a healthier future. Providing data at the district level is an effort to help national leaders spend less time digging for data and more time crafting policies that will help their communities.

Diving into the data

While these data resources are paving the way to a better tomorrow, understanding how and when to use the dashboards can be overwhelming. Luckily, some resources are available to help you get started. For City Health Dashboard users, check out the Data Explorer Worksheet which walks you step-by-step through any city and metric of your choosing. This helps users familiarise themselves with the interface and learn how to best use the tool to find health challenges in their community.

Have questions? Want to share how data has made an impact? Let us know by emailing us at City Health Dashboard or Congressional District Health Dashboard.

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