How the figures can be used
This page lists the uses CDC describes for PLACES and the uses it warns against, in CDC's words where possible. It is not advice about health, and the site offers none.
What CDC says the data are for
CDC describes PLACES as a tool for people working on the health of communities. In its words the data can be used to "identify the health issues facing a local area or neighborhoods", "establish key health objectives" and "develop and implement effective and targeted prevention activities", and to see "overlapping health and social needs in an area". It also says areas "can be compared on individual measures", with the caution about intervals repeated throughout this site.
What CDC says the data are not for
- Individuals. "We do not produce estimates for individuals; only aggregated results". An area's estimate says nothing about any resident.
- Ranking overall health. "Because these are modeled and not direct estimates, the data should not be used for ranking the overall health of any county, place, census tract, or ZCTA." PLACES publishes no composite score, and neither does this site.
- Trends. "The current modeling procedure does not support using the estimates to track changes at the local level over time."
- Programme and policy evaluation. "We cannot include policy or program intervention effects, which would occur locally, in the modeling process." Local estimates "should not be used to evaluate the effect of local public health programs, policies, or interventions."
- Comparisons without intervals. "It may not be appropriate to draw conclusions when comparing estimates that have very broad confidence intervals."
Reading a page on this site
- Start with the caveat block; it is the frame for everything below it.
- Read each figure with its interval, not alone.
- Use the flags (higher, lower, similar; above, below, in line) rather than the dots to compare areas; they already apply the interval rule.
- Switch to age-adjusted figures when comparing places whose populations differ in age (retirement communities, college towns).
- Treat by-release tables as a record, not a trend.
- For questions about a personal health situation, the figures are the wrong tool; a clinician is the right one.