What is local health information?
Health is dependent on multiple factors, including individual characteristics, the community where one lives, the environment, and a host of social factors. This paper addresses “health” information regarding these multiple determinants of health, which help predict health status and behavior and support comprehensive policy and program development.2 Local health information describes the health status, resources, and challenges of a community. In the words of a 2002 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, “Communities are both the physical and cultural settings for and through their residents and community-based organizations participants in action to promote the public s health.”3 Communities are where the interests of government, business, faith-based organizations, nonprofits, health care delivery systems, and the media all converge. Therefore, health information is most useful when it is available at the community level. However, limitations in the underlying data sources, statistical
