Research Guides: PSYC 4250: Health Disparities: Psychological Perspectives & Solutions: County Profile

Community Health Needs Assessment

Every four years, local health departments in North Carolina prepare a Community Health Needs Assessments for their county (or multi-county) service area. Preparing a Community Health Needs Assessment includes assembling data on health outcomes, resources, and needs, as well as basic social and demographic data.

Find your county's health needs assessment by using Google. Try searching for:

[your county's name] "community health needs assessment"

Example: Pitt County "community health needs assessment"

North Carolina County and Regional Statistics

Behavioral Risk Factors
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) was developed to monitor and track certain sets of behavioral risk factors in adults that were known to contribute to disease processes.
County Health Rankings
Provides access to state reports, ranking each county within the states according to its health outcomes and multiple health factors. Each county can also drill down to see specific county-level data.
Eastern North Carolina Health Indicators
All Causes of Death, All Causes of Premature Mortality, and Ten Leading Causes of Death compiled for eastern counties and aggregated by 29 and 41 county groupings from the Center for Health Services Research & Development at East Carolina University.
North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics Annual Publications
View annual publications on various health issues at the county level.

Demographics Resources

American FactFinder
A compilation of statistics and data from a variety of Census Bureau surveys, use this tool to find popular facts (population, income, etc.) and frequently requested data about a particular community.

Social Explorer This link opens in a new window
Social Explorer is an online research tool designed to provide quick and easy access to historical census data and demographic information. The site currently includes the entire US Census history from 1790 to 2000, all annual updates from the American Community Survey, and the Religious Congregations and Membership Study from 1980 to 2000. Note: Access is limited to 3 users at a time.
Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
The Statistical Abstract of the United States, published since 1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. Use the Abstract as a convenient volume for statistical reference, and as a guide to sources of more information both in print and on the Web. Sources of data include the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other Federal agencies and private organizations.

E-Reference Resources

Try searching these materials for definitions, facts, and background information.

Blackwell Reference Online This link opens in a new window
An online library giving instant access to the most authoritative and up-to-date scholarship across the humanities and social sciences. Includes more than 300 reference volumes.
Gale Virtual Reference Library This link opens in a new window
Contains full text online reference books on the subjects of arts, biography, education, environment, history, medicine, multicultural studies, nation and world, religion, science, and social science. View books by subject or search for articles by keyword or topic.