METHODS: A consultant and Subcommittee members developed the assessment. Nationally notifiable conditions were cross-mapped to the conditions HP 2020 set objectives. The assessment asked about readiness and barriers to collecting individual SES status and to geocoding case addresses and whether linking of geocoded information to census tract SES measures was being done. The assessment was distributed to all State Epidemiologists in June 2015. Data collection was closed August 31.
RESULTS: Eighty-eight percent (45/51) of states, including Washington, D.C., responded. Except for birth data (18 states), few (1-7 states) collected individual SES on any given condition. The majority (26) indicated a plan to conduct routine geocoding and most were doing it: 88% geocoded the six cancers with HP 2020 objectives, 50-77% geocoded infectious diseases and elevated blood lead, and 73% birth and death data. Among those conducting routine geocoding, 24 states reported linking geocodes to census tract data for malignancies, 8 for infectious diseases, and 14 for vital statistics. Eighteen (69%) of 26 states with a routine geocoding plan would be willing to send census tract-level SES data to CDC. Barriers among these 26 to routinely geocoding reportable infectious diseases were lack of funding (4-8 states), not a priority (4-7), and lack of expertise (2-7).
CONCLUSIONS: Few states routinely collect individual SES information except via birth certificates. However, the majority of states are either planning to or are capable of and already doing some geocoding of case address data and are willing to send linked census tract data to CDC. Given this, a nationally coordinated effort could be made to standardize linkage of geocoded to census tract SES data in a representative sample of states, send that data to CDC and generate national-level surveillance data by SES.