How To... Read A Data Table
Basic Information About Tables

	More info on Basic Information About Tables: How Prevalence is Calculated

The following terms are used in describing all tables: title, column, row, cell, and footnote. To get a definition of a term, click the term in the figure below.

Title

The title of each PedNSS and PNSS table consists of the following information:

Line 1: The table number and level of analysis. The following abbreviations are used to indicate the level of analysis: A = Clinic, B = County, C = Contributor (state, District of Columbia, U.S. territory, or tribal government), D = Nation, E = Region, F = Local Agency, and G = Metro Area.

Line 2: The report year and name of the surveillance system. As noted in footnote 1 of each table, the reporting period is defined as January 1 through December 31 for a given year.

Line 3: The name of the source of the table data (contributor, county, clinic, etc.).

Line 4: The description of the specific data in the table.

Line 5: (PedNSS reports only) The age group of the children whose records are included in the table.

Column

A column heading identifies the unit (national, contributor, county, year, etc.) or health indicator that is being analyzed. In some cases, a health indicator has a heading and a subheading. For example, birthweight is further defined as low birthweight and high birthweight. The Number column shows the number of records with valid data included in the table analysis, not the number of records for a specific health indicator. Valid data are defined as data that are not missing, miscoded, or biologically implausible. The % (percent sign) column shows the prevalence or the proportion of individuals with a given demographic or health indicator during a specified period of time. An * (asterisk) in a column indicates that fewer than (<) 100 records are available for analysis. Prevalence is not calculated for health indicators with less than 100 records.

Row

A row heading (or subheading) identifies the health indicator/variable. Entries listed below the heading or subheading are the specific categories. For example, in most tables “race/ethnicity” is a row heading, and the specific categories under the row heading identify the category (“white, non-Hispanic”; “black, non-Hispanic”; etc.)

Cell

A cell (the intersection of a row and a column) contains the actual value for the number of records included in the analysis or the percent of the population with the condition or health indicator being analyzed.

Footnote

A footnote clarifies information contained in the table.
Footnotes may also provide additional details, such as the reporting period, data excluded from the analysis, health indicator definitions, record selection or other relevant information.

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This page last updated April 11, 2005

United States Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity