1.0  Tutorial for WISQARS^TM Fatal  

This tutorial provides a step-by-step overview to getting started with WISQARS Fatal.  The purpose of the tutorial is to help you access mortality data quickly and easily.  This tutorial assumes you have a basic understanding of how to interact with a graphical user interface (e.g., Windows 95 or Mac OS) and a web browser (e.g., Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer).  For example, this tutorial assumes you understand how to use a mouse to select a button or an item from a menu.

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Choose a Report Type

1.3 Select Report Options

1.4 Select Advanced Report Options 

1.5 Downloading Data / Images from Report Options

1.6 Performance Tips

1.7 Printing Tips 

1.1 Introduction
WISQARS Fatal provides mortality data for 1981-1998 and for 1999 in three report formats: mortality (fatal injury) reports, leading causes of death reports, and years of potential life lost (YPLL) reports. A mortality report gives you a statistical table about a particular injury cause and intent of injury, along with other details you specify (such as age range and sex).  A leading cause of death report gives you a chart of the most common causes of death for a particular population or range of years, with injury-related causes highlighted in colors (red, blue, and green).  A YPLL report provides a measure of premature mortality (early death) for a specific population and a particular year or range of years 

You can access a fatal report using three basic steps:

1. Choose a report type.
2. Select report options.
3. Select advanced report options.

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1.2  Choose a Report Type
The first step for using WISQARS Fatal is to choose a report type.  Your options are fatal injury reports, leading causes of death reports, and years of potential life lost (YPLL) reports.  Choose a report type based on your information needs.  If you need detailed statistics about a particular fatal injury cause or intent for a particular population--such as homicide for Hispanic residents of the Southwest--then you need a mortality report.  If you need information about the most common causes of death for a specific population, then you need a leading causes of death report.  If you need statistics that help show whether a cause(s) of death contributes to early death for a specific population, then you need a YPLL report. 

To choose a report type, perform the following steps:

1. Open the WISQARS home page in your Internet browser.  (The URL is http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars/).
    
2. Move your cursor to the middle of the page, underneath the heading "Fatal Injuries."  Select the green "Go" button beside the type of report you want:  mortality (fatal injury) report, leading causes of death report, or YPLL report.

Another menu page displaying choice of year(s) will appear.

3. Select the year(s) in which you are interested--1998 and earlier or 1999.
      
   Note:  The coding of mortality data changed significantly in 1999 from ICD-9 to ICD-10, so you may not be able to compare number of deaths and death rates from 1998 and before with data from 1999.  Some comparability ratios are available.  More Information >>
    
   The appropriate report options page will appear. 

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1.3  Select Report Options
The next step in obtaining a report from WISQARS is to select your report options.  The three types of reports offer different report options.

A. Mortality (Fatal Injury) Report Options
Mortality reports feature the following options:

• Cause or mechanism of injury (for example, falls, motor vehicle, fire/burn, cut/pierce, poisonings) 
• Intent of injury (for example, unintentional, homicide, legal intervention)
• Census region / state of residence (for example, Northeast, Colorado, Southwest)
• Race/ ethnicity (for example, black, American Indian)
• Hispanic origin 
• Sex
• Year of report 

For thorough definitions of each option's terminology, see help file section 5.0.)

To select mortality report options, take the following steps:

1. For items 1 and 2, select the button beside the intent of injury and cause of injury you desire (see Figure 1.1).
2. For item 3, specify the census region or state of residence, race, Hispanic origin, and sex of the deceased as well as the year of data you want (see Figure 1.2); select the item you want from each option's pull-down menu.
   
   Note:  If you want more information about a report option, click on the category name (e.g., intent, year(s) of report).  A full definition of the category and its specific options will appear.
    
3. At this point, you can submit your report request or select advanced report options (see section 1.4).  To submit your report request, click on the "submit" button below item 3 (see Figure 1.2).  WISQARS will quickly display a table containing the requested information.

Figure 1.1:  Mortality Report Option Items 1, 2

B. Leading Causes of Death Report Options
Leading causes of death reports allow you  to request a customized report featuring the following options:

• Census Region / state of Residence
• Year(s) of report
• Race
• Hispanic origin
• Sex
• Output (display) options

For thorough definitions of each option's terminology, see help file section 5.0.

To request a leading causes of death report, select report options through the following steps:

1. Specify the census region / state of residence, race, Hispanic origin, and sex of the deceased as well as year of data (see Figure 1.4) by selecting the item you want from each option's pull-down menu.  
2. Select how you want the report to display through the display pull-down menu.  The standard view contains hyperlinks and color, the printer friendly view has color but no hyperlinks, and the text-only view features hyperlinks but no color.
   
   Note:  As you make your selections, if you want more information about a report option, click on the category name (e.g., sex, year(s) of report).  A full definition of the category and its specific options will appear.
   
3. At this point, you can submit your report request or select advanced report options (see section 1.4).  To submit your report request, click on the "submit" button at the end of the "Report Options" section (see Figure 1.4).  WISQARS will quickly display a chart containing the requested information.

1.4 Select Advanced Report Options
All three reports offer advanced report options.  While these options are not required for submitting a report request, they allow you to customize information further.

A. Mortality Report Advanced Options
Nonfatal injury reports offer the following advanced options:

• Age groups
• Age adjusting
• Sorting by category: age, age group, race, sex, state year.

For thorough definitions of terminology used in the advanced report options, see help file section 5.0.

To select advanced report options, 

1. Decide which option(s) you want to use.
2. Select the item you desire from the pull-down menu(s) (see Figure 1.6).
3. Click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the "Advanced Options" section. Within 30-120 seconds, WISQARS will display a table containing the requested information. 

B. Leading Causes of Death Report Advanced Options
Leading causes reports offer three advanced options:

• Number of causes
• Categories of death
• Age-group formatting

For a thorough definition of these advanced options, see help file section 5.0.

To select advanced report options, 

1. Decide which option(s) you want to use.
2. Select the item you desire from the pull-down menu(s).  For age-group formatting, select the button beside a preset option, or create a custom age range using the pull-down menus (see Figure 1.7).
3. Click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the "Advanced Options" section. Within 30-120 seconds, WISQARS will display a chart containing the requested information. 
    

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C. Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) Advanced Options
YPLL reports offer three advanced options:

• Statistic reported
• Report subject
• Number of causes
• Standard year for age-adjusting.

For a thorough definition of these advanced options, see help file section 5.0.

To select advanced report options, 

1. Decide which option(s) you want to use.
2. Select the item you desire from the pull-down menu(s).  For report subject, if you decide to choose a specific injury category, you must select the button beside the injury cause and the button beside the intent you want. (see Figure 1.8).
3. Click on the "Submit" button at the bottom of the "Advanced Options" section. Within 30-120 seconds, WISQARS will display a chart containing the requested information. 

Figure 1.8:  Advanced YPLL Report Options

1.5 Downloading Data / Images Report Options

Section: 1.5.1 Downloading Data

Each report allows you to download the data in a comma-separated value (csv) format:  

• Select the link at the bottom of the report that says "Download Results in a Spreadsheet (CSV) File." 
  • In Internet Explorer, a window will appear asking whether to open the file or save it.  
  • In Netscape, a window may appear offering "More Info," "Pick App," "Save File," or "Cancel."  Then you will be given the option whether to open the file or save it.
• Select "Save this file to disk" and click on "OK."
• Browse for and select the location (folder, drive, etc.) where you want to save the data.  Click on "Save". 

Importing the data into desktop software
When importing the data into a software package such as Excel, be sure to identify the file as type TEXT (*.prn, *.txt, *.csv).  This type likely will  not be the default.  
  

Section: 1.5.2 Capturing graphic images from Leading Causes of Death Reports

Method of Capturing the Leading Causes of Death chart

• Press Print Screen key on your keyboard.
• Save Picture as a GIF file.
• Open Power Point and a new blank slide.
• Insert Picture - From file; and then navigate to saved GIF file.
   

Method of capturing a bar chart in Power Point

• Select "Printer-Friendly Version" link, located below the chart to remove hyperlinks, CDC banners, etc.
• From anywhere on the image, right click mouse.
• Select "Save Picture As"; then assign a file name and location.
• Save picture as a GIF file.
• Open Power Point and a new blank slide.
• From "Insert" pull-down menu, select "New slide."
• Insert picture from file
• Navigate to the previously saved file
• Click on "Insert."
   

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