Master of Public Health

The American Community Survey (ACS) helps local officials, community leaders, and businesses understand the changes taking place in their communities. It is the premier source for detailed population and housing information about our nation.

An effort led by the CDC. The nation’s premier system of health-related telephone surveys that collect state data about U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services.

Website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has an A-Z searchable database for most topics in public health. Once you reach a given topic, you will definitely find data and studies which are all reliable and high quality.

The Community Guide is a collection of evidence-based recommendations and findings from the Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF).

County Health Rankings data include indicators that are searchable by County in most counties in the US (most states go by County, except RI which uses cities/towns).

The Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker provides clear, up-to-date information on trends, drivers and issues that impact the performance of the system. It also illustrates how the U.S. is performing relative to other countries and how different parts of the system are performing relative to one another.

The Healthy People initiative is designed to guide national health promotion and disease prevention efforts to improve the health of the nation. Released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) every decade since 1980, Healthy People identifies science-based objectives with targets to monitor progress and motivate and focus action.
Healthy People 2020
Healthy People 2030

KIDS COUNT is a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and a premier source of data on children and families. Each year, the Foundation produces a comprehensive report — the KIDS COUNT Data Book — that assesses child well-being in the United States.
2024 KIDS COUNT Data Book

The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) is issued by the CDC and published weekly on a myriad of topics. Wonderful source to search for data and reports.

The NCHS is a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is the nation’s principal health statistics agency.

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, is a branch of the US Department of Health and Human Services. This site contains information, guidelines and efforts related to disease prevention and health promotion.

The OECD is a forum and knowledge hub for data, analysis and best practices in public policy.

Our World in Data is an online publication that focuses on large global problems such as poverty, disease, hunger and climate change.

The Rhode Island Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (RI BRFSS) is a state-based computer-assisted telephone interview survey conducted by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) with assistance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data collected include information on health, health risk behaviors, preventive practices, and healthcare access among Rhode Island adults (18+ years).

The mission of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is to improve the health, safety, education, economic well-being, and development of Rhode Island’s children with a commitment to equity and the elimination of unacceptable disparities by race, ethnicity, disability, zip code, immigration status, neighborhood, and income.
2024 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook

The Youth Risk Behavior Survey was developed to monitor health behaviors that contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth and adults in the United States. Health topics assessed include: mental health, intrapersonal conflict, tobacco, alcohol or drug use, and sexual activity. The survey is conducted every other year among middle school and high school students.
2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results
2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results
2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey Results

QuickFacts provides statistics for all states and counties. Also for cities and towns with a population of 5,000 or more.

The platform to access demographic and economic data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

WONDER online databases are maintained by the CDC and utilize a rich ad-hoc query system for the analysis of public health data. Reports and other query systems are also available.

The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) measures health-related behaviors and experiences that can lead to death and disability among youth and adults. Results help monitor health trends, identify emerging issues, and plan and evaluate programs that can help improve adolescent health.