State, local, tribal, and territorial epidemiologists inform public health decision making by providing a variety of data, from maps of chronic disease prevalence to estimates of costs. This workshop will showcase several methods and tools for spatial or economic analyses of public health data. This workshop will have two sessions. The first session will focus on ArcGIS for data analysis and visualization, including: a review of geocoding concepts and processes; how to responsibly present geo-referenced, individual-level data; how to communicate measurements of error on a map; and, a presentation of a GIS-based tool for age-adjustment and measurement of error. The second session will focus on economic evaluations for public health interventions, including: types of economic evaluations; steps in conducting an economic evaluation; identification of resources and tools for economic evaluations; and, use of the CDC Chronic Disease Cost Calculator to provide state-specific cost estimates for 10 chronic conditions, estimates of medical expenses for entire state populations, absenteeism costs, and projected estimates of medical costs. Please note that, to get the most out of the first session of this workshop, participants should bring a laptop and have experience with ArcGIS (i.e., ability to create a choropleth map).
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
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Provide an introduction to geocoding concepts and processes
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Use a script-based tool to generate age-adjusted sub-county rates with error measurements from point-level data
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Explore methods to assess and communicate error in map products
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Understand the role and significance of economic evaluation in public health
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Understand key terms in economic evaluation and how to apply them
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Be able to select economic evaluation types, relevant costs, and outcomes
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Identify resources and tools for economic evaluation of public health interventions
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Use the CDC Chronic Disease Cost Calculator to create cost estimates and interpret results