Trends in Health and Aging
supported by the
National Institutes on Aging
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Trends in Health and Aging?
- For what purposes can I use data from Trends in Health and Aging?
- How do I use the Trends in Health and Aging tables? A quick guide.
-
Should I install the Beyond 20/20 software?
How do I download and install the Beyond 20/20 software?
I was unable to download the Beyond 20/20 software. What can I do?
- Can I access the data using a Macintosh computer?
- How can I get a Trends in Health and Aging CD-ROM?
- Are there data for States?
- Are there data by County?
- Do you have data on forecasts for the future?
- Do you have data from other countries?
- Where can I find information about the sources of the data? (Explanatory messages)
- Are the data limited to the age 65 and over population?
- Are the tables linked to micro-data?
- What is the statistical utility?
- How do I arrange for a presentation on the use of Trends in Health and Aging?
- How can I get on your mailing list?
- How should I cite your Website?
- What if I still have questions or comments?
1. What is Trends in Health and Aging?
It's a collection of tables on trends in the health of the older population in the U.S. The tables cover trends in health status, health care use and costs, health insurance, health risk factors and disease prevention, and many other topics. All of the tables present data by age group, sex, race and, where available, by Hispanic origin.
2. For what purposes can I use your data?
You can explore trends in major health indicators by age, race and ethnic groups, States, etc. You can answer questions such as:
Are there differences in health among racial and ethnic groups and are the differences becoming larger?
What are the main reasons for hospitalization among persons 65 years old and over?
Whether you are writing a grant proposal, teaching a class on aging, or planning for the delivery of health services, you may find useful information in Trends in Health and Aging. You can also learn about the data sources from the explanatory messages provided in the tables.
3. How do I use the Trends in Health and Aging tables? A quick guide.
The data tables use Beyond 20/20 software. Go to Trends in Health and Aging home page. Click on a topic in which you are interested. Find a table you want to view and click on the title. The table opens to a view that gives the basic information on a topic. In most tables, you will see columns headed by calendar year, from the earliest year on the left to the latest on the right.
You can manipulate the tables to show more detail (e.g. age groups), hide other details, sort the data, make charts, etc. Some users don't need instructions; they learn how to manipulate the tables just by exploring on their own. Others find the instructions helpful to get started.
4. Should I install the Beyond 20/20 software?
You can access the information through the online version of the tables without installing the Beyond 20/20 software. However in order to have the data available on your computer without going on line or to use the Beyond 20/20 capability fully, you should download the Beyond 20/20 software and install it. Once you install the software, you can save and view the tables on your desktop, and export the data in other formats such as Excel (.xls), text (.txt), or comma-delimited (.csv). To download and use this software go to the page with the downloadable tables.
Go to the page with the downloadable tables and follow the step-by-step instructions.
The Beyond 20/20 software is available to our users free of
charge. However, you may need the
help of your network administrator if your computer system does
not allow you to download new
software to your computer.
5. Can I access the data using a Macintosh computer?
Yes, you can view the data using on-line tables. However, you won't be able to install the Beyond 20/20 software and use the downloadable tables.
6. How can I get Trends in Health and Aging CD-ROM?
Although we would prefer you to use our website because it has the latest data available, you can request the CD-ROM by e-mailing us at nha@cdc.gov. We will send it to you free of charge while our supplies last.
Yes, many of our tables are by State. See the State page for more information.
No, county-level data are not available. The smallest geographical level is the State.
9. Do you have data on forecasts for the future?
No. Population projections can be found at the Census Bureau and Social Security Administration websites. Health spending forecasts are available from the Congressional Budget Office and from the Trustees Report and National Health Expenditure Projections at the website of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
10. Do you have data from other countries?
No. Information is only presented for the United States. To find data for other countries, you may explore the World Health Organization (WHO) website, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), or the Population Reference Bureau.
11. Where can I find information about the sources of the data? (Explanatory messages)
Every table contains explanatory messages about the data sources, calculation methods, and variable definitions. Click on the symbol to get more information. To obtain a general overview of the data and its source, click on the symbol after the table title in the on-line tables or click on File on the top of the Browser table and choose Summary.
12. Are the data limited to the age 65 and over population?
No, although most of our tables open with data for the population 65 years old and over (age-adjusted). By going to the AGE tile in the table and using the switch arrows, you can scroll through the data for other age groups. In most of our tables you will find the age groups 65-74, 75-84, and 85 years old, as well as 50-64 and 50 years old and over. Some tables also include younger age groups.
13. Are the tables linked to micro-data?
No. The data are aggregated and are not linked to micro data. You can find references to the data sources in the explanatory messages inside the tables.
14. What is the statistical utility?
Because most of our data are from sample surveys, they are subject to sampling error. Our statistical testing utility allows the user to perform significance tests of the difference between two values, the slope of a linear trend line, and the difference in the slopes of two linear trend lines.
In addition, standard errors, confidence intervals, and relative standard errors are shown in the tables (see dimensions Measure and Units).
15. How do I arrange for a presentation on the use of the Trends in Health and Aging?
To request a presentation, send an email to: nha@cdc.gov. Include the name of your organization, its location, and how many people you would like to invite for the presentation. Organizations located outside of the Washington DC-Baltimore area may be asked to reimburse CDC for travel expenses.
16. How can I get on your mailing list?
Contact us to join our list serve. You will be kept up-to-date about all of our activities and presentations.
17. How should I cite your Website?
[Data Source*] National Center for Health Statistics, Trends in Health and Aging, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/agingact.htm. Accessed on [Date of access].
*You will find the data source in the table titles.
18. What if I still have questions or comments?
Check out the Instructions. Still puzzled? Contact us.
Page Last Modified: December 09, 2008
Aging and Chronic Disease Statistics
Branch
3311 Toledo Road
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301-458-4241
Email: nha@cdc.gov
National Center for Health
Statistics
3311 Toledo Road
Hyattsville, MD 20782
Phone:
1-800-232-4636
nchsquery@cdc.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333, U.S.A
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