PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, County Data 2020 release

This dataset contains model-based county-level estimates for the PLACES project 2020 release. The PLACES project is the expansion of the original 500 Cities project and covers the entire United States—50 states and the District of Columbia (DC)—at county, place, census tract, and ZIP Code tabulation Areas (ZCTA) levels. It represents a first-of-its kind effort to release information uniformly on this large scale for local areas at 4 geographic levels. Estimates were provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Population Health, Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch. The project was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in conjunction with the CDC Foundation. The dataset includes estimates for 27 measures: 5 chronic disease-related unhealthy behaviors, 13 health outcomes, and 9 on use of preventive services. These estimates can be used to identify emerging health problems and to inform development and implementation of effective, targeted public health prevention activities. Because the small area model cannot detect effects due to local interventions, users are cautioned against using these estimates for program or policy evaluations. Data sources used to generate these model-based estimates include Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2018 or 2017 data, Census Bureau 2018 or 2017 county population data, and American Community Survey (ACS) 2014-2018 or 2013-2017 estimates. The 2020 release uses 2018 BRFSS data for 23 measures and 2017 BRFSS data for 4 measures (high blood pressure, taking high blood pressure medication, high cholesterol, and cholesterol screening). Four measures are based on the 2017 BRFSS because the relevant questions are only asked every other year in the BRFSS. More information about the methodology can be found at www.cdc.gov/places.
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