New, faster data debuts on the Dashboard

Over the last year we’ve been hard at work on some exciting metric updates to the City Health Dashboard. Starting today, users can now access two new measures: Air Pollution-Ozone and the Credit Insecurity Index. Adding these particular metrics is part of our ongoing mission at the Dashboard to develop more innovative and timely data sources and methods that seek to better demonstrate how physical, economic and social determinants impact health, particularly in cities.

We have also updated data for thirteen metrics across our focus areas of clinical care, health outcomes, health behaviors, and the physical environment. Read on to learn more about what’s new.

Credit Insecurity Index

When people are able to access credit they are better able to buy a home and invest in their community, save enough to start a business or cover unexpected medical expenses, or pass along wealth to their kids. Access to credit is also a good marker of community financial health and resiliency. But barriers exist as well, and not everyone has the same access to essential financial services.  Substance use and poorer mental health outcomes are more common among those struggling financially.

Using data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank Consumer Credit Panel and Equifax, the Dashboard now displays the Credit Insecurity Index, which measures the percentage of local residents who have limited access to credit, either because they have no credit history or have negative credit history (ex. a low credit score). The Credit Insecurity Index metric is available at the city and census-tract level for all Dashboard cities in 2020. Equipped with these data, users can identify neighborhoods where people are struggling financially and direct actionable solutions to those in greatest need.

Learn more about the Credit Insecurity Index metric.

You can read our Dashboard Data Insight that dives into patterns of credit insecurity across the U.S., implications for community health, and approaches to addressing this challenge.

Air Pollution – Ozone

The average person breathes in and out about 22,000 times per day, making the air we breathe an essential component of our health. And when air quality is poor, it can have long-lasting negative impacts. Ground-level ozone (different from stratospheric ozone) is one example of a harmful breathable compound that is created by chemical reactions between pollutants that are typically released by cars, power plants, and chemical plants. Ozone has been linked to worse respiratory health outcomes, including diminished lung function, emergency room visits for asthma, hospital admissions, and premature deaths in individuals otherwise considered healthy, and is most dangerous when outside temperatures are high.

Using data created by merging ground observations from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Air Quality System (AQS) network with computer model prediction from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Air Quality Forecast Capability (NAQFC) carried out by the George Mason University air quality team, the Dashboard’s new ozone metric shows monthly average ozone levels. This measure is available at the city and neighborhood level for all Dashboard cities in 2020.

The ozone metric complements our current particulate matter (PM 2.5) metric, so now city leaders can use these data together to understand which neighborhoods are most impacted by air pollution and take steps to improve air quality and community resiliency as temperatures continue to rise due to climate change.

Learn more about the new ozone pollution metric.

New Years of Data

We strive to keep Dashboard data as timely as possible, and are excited to update eleven measures to the most recent year of data available. See what we’ve updated:

1. Air pollution – particulate matter (PM 2.5)

2. Binge drinking

3. Diabetes

4. Frequent mental distress

5. Frequent physical distress

6. High blood pressure

7. Obesity

8. Physical inactivity

9. Routine checkups, 18+

10. Smoking

11. Unemployment: current city-level (now through November 2021)

With these data, users can see how metrics vary over time in cities, essential context for policies and programs aimed at addressing these issues.

Keep an eye on our Events page for upcoming webinars on applying these data in cities. Subscribe to our newsletter to say up to date on all things City Health Dashboard and tell us how you’ve used the data in your work!