A
Acute
An abrupt onset. Acute often connotes an illness or disease that is of short duration, rapidly progressive, and in need of urgent care. Acute is a measure of the time scale of a disease and is in contrast to "chronic."
Adjusted Rate
Adjusted rate means to have been statistically modified to eliminate the effect of different distributions in the different populations. This allows health measures such as rates of diseases and deaths to be compared between several communities with different groups. The most common factor used to adjust rates is age; other factors can also be used, such as race or gender.
Adverse Health Effect
A harmful or abnormal result. It may be caused by administration of a medication or by exposure to a chemical and be indicated by an untoward result such as by illness or death.
Aggregate Data
Data created from individual-level records that have been combined for statistical or analytical purposes. Aggregate data sets do not contain individual-level data.
Aggregated Rate
An aggregated rate is calculated by summing or combining multiple data elements. The practice of using aggregated rates, as opposed to individual rates, is often used to create more stable estimates when studying small populations.
Air Pollution
The presence in or introduction into the air of a substance, which has harmful or poisonous effects.
Air Quality Index
Air Quality Index (AQI) is a number used by government agencies to communicate to the public how polluted the air currently is or how polluted it is forecast to become. As the AQI increases, an increasingly large percentage of the population is likely to experience increasingly severe adverse health effects.
Ambient Air
The quality of outdoor air in our surrounding environment. It is typically measured near ground level.
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of part or all of a body part that is enclosed by skin. It is typically performed to treat complications of conditions such as diabetes, cancer, severe injury or vascular disease.
Analysis
A detailed examination of the elements or structure of something, typically as a basis for discussion or interpretation.
Analyte
A substance whose chemical ingredients are being identified and measured.
Anencephaly
A condition that prevents the normal development of the brain and the bones of the skull. This condition results in only a partial brain developing, and the affected portion is often exposed — not covered by bone or skin.
Arsenic
A grayish-white mineral having a metallic luster. Arsenic vaporizes when heated and forms poisonous compounds. It is used in various alloys and in many compounds, including insecticides and weed killers.
Asbestosis
A condition featuring scarring of the lungs caused by inhaled asbestos fibers. Asbestosis is irreversible.
Asthma
A common chronic condition of airway inflammation characterized by recurrent, reversible, airway obstruction. Asthma episodes or attacks are periods when symptoms are most bothersome. Asthma symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, and chest tightness.
Average
An average is a single value that represents the general significance of a set of unequal values. Average is calculated by summing all values in a data set, then dividing that sum by the total number of values in the data set.
B
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
A state-based health survey that annually collects information on health conditions, behaviors, preventive services use, and healthcare access from US residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services.
Biomonitoring
The measurement of the body burden of toxic chemical compounds, elements, or their metabolites, in biological substances such as blood, urine, or hair.
Birth Defects
Birth defects are structural or functional abnormalities present at birth that cause physical or mental disability. They are the leading cause of death for infants during the first year of life. Birth defects can be caused by:
- Genetic problems caused when one or more genes doesn't work properly or part of a gene is missing
- Problems with chromosomes, such as having an extra chromosome or missing part of a chromosome
- Environmental factors that a woman is exposed to during pregnancy, such as rubella or German measles
Blood Lead Level
A test that measures the amount of lead in the blood. A blood sample is needed. This test is used to screen children at risk for lead poisoning, as well as for adults who may be exposed to lead through their work.
Built Environment
The part of the physical environment constructed by human activity.
C
Cancer
Cells that grow out-of-control and invade other tissues. Cells become cancerous due to the accumulation of defects, or mutations, in their DNA.
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
A colorless, odorless, toxic flammable gas formed by incomplete combustion of carbon.
Carcinogen
A substance or agent that causes cancer.
Cardiovascular
Cardiovascular relates to the circulatory system, this comprises the heart and blood vessels, carrying nutrients and oxygen to the tissues of the body and removing carbon dioxide and other wastes.
Cardiovascular Disease
A class of diseases that involves the heart or the blood vessels, including arteriosclerosis, coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, arrhythmia, heart failure, hypertension, orthostatic hypotension, shock, endocarditis, diseases of the aorta and its branches, disorders of the peripheral vascular system, and congenital heart disease.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
Compression and irritation of the median nerve as it passes under the transverse carpal ligament in the carpal tunnel. CTS is considered a work-related musculoskeletal disorder.
Census
An official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The US agency charged with tracking and investigating public health trends. A part of the US Public Health Service, the CDC is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Chemical
A compound or substance that has been purified or prepared, especially artificially.
Cholesterol
A waxy, fat-like substance that your body needs to function normally. The cholesterol in a person's blood originates from two major sources: dietary intake and liver production.
Chronic
Lasting a long time. Chronic illness or disease is one that lasts three months or more. Chronic is a measure of the time scale of a disease and is in contrast to "acute."
Civilian
A person whose primary occupation is civil or nonmilitary.
Civilian Veterans
Those 18 or older who are not currently on active duty but who once served on active duty in the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or the Coast Guard, or who served in the Merchant Marine during World War II.
Clean Air Act
A United States federal law designed to control air pollution on a national level.
Cleft Lip (with or without Cleft Palate)
An opening extending through the upper lip. It may be in the midline (center) or left and/or right of the midline. Cleft lip may or may not include a cleft palate.
Cleft Palate
An opening of the hard palate (the bony front portion of the roof of the mouth) or the soft palate (the back part of the roof of the mouth).
Collaborative
Collaborative means produced or conducted by two or more parties working together.
Community
A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
Concentration
The amount of a component in a given area or volume.
Confidence Intervals
Confidence Intervals are a range around a value that conveys how reliable and stable the value is. The wider the interval, the less stable the estimate. A confidence interval for a rate is a measure of the precision of a rate.
Contaminant
Something that makes a place or a substance (such as water, air, or food) no longer suitable for use; something that contaminates a place or substance.
Correlation
A mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.
Crime Rate
The number of offenses per 100,000 population.
Criteria Pollutants
Criteria pollutants are the only air pollutants with national air quality standards that define allowable concentrations of these substances in ambient air. The criteria air pollutants include particle pollution (PM2.5 and PM10), ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and lead.
Crude Rate
The overall frequency that has not been adjusted for significant factors that might have influenced the frequency, such as age, sex, race, or socioeconomic status.
D
Data Element
The physical unit of storage in a record.
Data Set
A collection of related sets of information that is composed of separate elements but can be manipulated as a unit by a computer.
Data Source
An organization or information system providing data.
Deciliter
Metric unit of capacity, equal to one tenth of a liter. Abbreviated as "dL". One deciliter is about 3.38 fluid ounces or 0.42 cups.
De-identified
De-identified information does not identify an individual and with respect to which there is no reasonable basis to believe that the information can be used to identify an individual.
Demographic Group
The characteristics of human populations, such as size, growth, density, distribution and vital statistics, used especially to identify consumer markets.
Demographic Information
Characteristics used to describe a group of people.
Disability
A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.
Disinfection Byproducts
Chemical, organic, and inorganic substances that can form during a reaction of a disinfectant with naturally-occurring materials in the water. These byproducts are regulated by the EPA.
Disparity
Disparity is inequality or difference, as in age, rank, wages, etc.
Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21)
A genetic disorder and the most common autosomal chromosome abnormality in humans, where extra genetic material from chromosome 21 is transferred to a newly formed embryo. These extra genes and DNA cause changes in the development of the embryo and fetus resulting in physical and mental abnormalities.
Duration
The measure of time during which something continues or exists.
E
Emissions
The act of releasing or discharging something (such as a chemical or substance) into the environment.
English Language Skills
The ability to speak and understand the English language.
Environment
The whole complex of factors (soil, climate and living things) that influence the form and ability to survive of a plant or animal or ecological community.
Environmental Epidemiology
The branch of epidemiology concerned with the discovery of the environmental exposures that contribute to or protect against injuries, illnesses, developmental conditions, disabilities, and deaths; and identification of public health and health care actions to manage the risks associated with harmful exposures.
Environmental Hazards
Agents or factors in the environment that may adversely affect human health.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
An agency of the United States federal government whose mission is to protect human and environmental health.
Environmental Public Health Tracking
The ongoing collection, integration, analysis, interpretation and dissemination of data on environmental hazards, exposures to those hazards, and related health effects.
Epidemiologist
A person that studies the patterns, causes and effects of health and disease conditions in defined populations. It is the cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidence-based practice by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive healthcare.
Establishments
A place of business with its furnishings and staff.
Ethnicity
Ethnicity is the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition.
Exposure
Exposure is having come into contact with a cause of, or possessing a characteristic that is a determinant of, a health problem of interest.
F
Families
Families are two or more people related by birth, marriage or adoption residing in the same housing unit.
Fatality
An occurrence of death by accident, in war or from disease.
Fetal Death
A fetal death is a non-induced death prior to the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy.
Fertility
The natural capability to produce offspring.
Fetus
A developing human from usually two months after conception to birth.
Fish Advisory
A guide to inform individuals of the benefits of eating fish, and which fish to eat in limited quantities. Fish advisories may inform individuals to avoid eating fish from specific water bodies or specific species of fish.
Food Deserts
Rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Instead of supermarkets and grocery stores, these communities may have no food access or are served only by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer few healthy, affordable food options.
Frequency
The rate at which something occurs or is repeated over a particular period of time or in a given sample.
Full Time Equivalent (FTE)
A unit that indicates the workload of an employed person (or student) in a way that makes workloads or class loads comparable across various contexts. FTE is often used to measure a worker's or student's involvement in a project.
Fungicide
A chemical that destroys fungus.
G
Gastroschisis
A type of hernia. Hernia means rupture. Babies with this condition have a hole in the abdominal wall through which their intestines stick out. Unlike omphalocele, gastroschisis does not have a membrane covering the abdominal contents.
Gender
The behavioral, cultural or psychological traits typically associated with the state of being male or female.
Geocode
The process of transforming a description of a location - such as a pair of coordinates, an address, or a name of a place - to a location on the earth's surface.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
A computer system that allows you to map, model, query, and analyze large quantities of data within a single database according to their location.
Geography
The study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the distribution of populations and resources, land use, and industries. The US Census Bureau defines urban and rural areas as follows:
- Urbanized Areas (UAs) of 50,000 or more people
- Urban Clusters (UCs) of at least 2,500 and less than 50,000 people
- Rural encompasses all population, housing, and territory not included within an urban area
Gestation
The process of carrying or being carried in the womb between conception and birth.
Groundwater
Water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock.
Group Quarters
Places where people live or stay, in a group living arrangement, which is owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. These services may include custodial or medical care as well as other types of assistance, and residency is commonly restricted to those receiving these services.
H
Hazardous Substance
Any material that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment.
Herbicide
A substance toxic to plants and is used to destroy unwanted vegetation.
Household
A one person or a group of people living in a housing unit.
Householder
The person who owns or rents the household and designates themselves as the head of household.
Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
A rare congenital heart defect in which the left ventricle of the heart is severely underdeveloped.
Hypospadias
A congenital condition in males in which the opening of the urethra is on the underside of the penis rather than at the tip.
Hyperthermia
A physician-diagnosed case of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Hypothermia
A physician-diagnosed case of cold injury associated with a fall of body temperature to less than 94 degrees Fahrenheit.
I
Incidence
Rate of occurrence or influence of the risk of developing some new condition within a specified period of time. It is generally reported as a ratio of the number of newly diagnosed cases per year per 100,000 people at risk in the population.
Indicator
Any of a group of statistical values taken together give evidence of the status of the topic.
Industry
A group of businesses that provide a particular product or service.
Infant Mortality
The death of children under the age of one year.
Infrastructure
Basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g., buildings, roads, and power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.
Insurance
A practice or arrangement by which a company or government agency provides a guarantee of compensation for specified loss, damage, illness, or death in return for payment of a premium.
K
Kilogram
A unit of mass, a property, which corresponds to the common perception of how "heavy" an object is. One kilogram is 2.2 pounds. Units related to kilogram include:
- Gram is a metric unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a kilogram.
- Microgram is a unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a milligram or one millionth of a gram.
- Milligram is a unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a gram.
L
Lead
A common soft blue-gray metallic element. Lead is poisonous, a characteristic that has led to a reduction in its use in recent years. Lead is used in storage batteries, paints, plumbing, and ammunition.
Live Birth
The complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a child, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which after such separation breathes or shows any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached.
Low Birth Weight
Low birth weight is defined as a birth weight of a live born infant of less than 2,500 grams (5 pounds 8 ounces) regardless of gestational age. For EPHT, low birth weight is measured among singleton births only.
Lower Limb Deficiencies
A birth defect that occurs when a part of or the leg (lower limb) of a fetus fails to form completely during pregnancy.
M
Maternal Age
The age of the mother at the time of delivery.
Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL)
The legal threshold limit on the amount of a substance that is allowed in public water systems under the Safe Drinking Water Act. The limit is usually expressed as a concentration in milligrams or micrograms per liter of water.
Mean
Simple or arithmetic average of a range of values or quantities, computed by dividing the total of all values by the number of values.
Measure
A summary characteristic or statistic, such as a sum, percentage, or rate.
Medicaid
A U.S. government program financed by federal, state, and local funds, of hospitalization and medical insurance for persons of all ages within certain income limits.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
An MOU describes a bilateral or multilateral agreement between two or more parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action.
Mercury
A heavy silvery white poisonous metallic chemical element that is liquid at ordinary temperatures.
Mesothelioma
An uncommon disease that causes malignant cancer cells to form within the lining of the chest, abdomen, and heart. Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles.
Metadata
Data that serves to provide context or additional information about other data. It may also describe the conditions under which the data was gathered.
Metal Poisoning
Toxic effect of certain metals in certain forms and doses on life. Some metals are toxic when they form poisonous soluble compounds. Certain metals have no biological role, meaning they are not essential minerals, or are toxic when above a certain concentration.
Missouri Health Strategic Architectures and Information Cooperative (MOHSAIC)
The integrated, population based database that is utilized for immunizations, communicable disease, vital records, Women, Infants and Children (WIC), newborn screening and health statistics programs.
Missouri Information for Community Assessment (MICA)
An interactive system that allows the user to create and download tables, based on selected variables and population counts for births, deaths, and population counts for Missouri counties and zip codes.
Missouri Public Health Information Management System (MOPHIMS)
Provides a common means for users to access public health related data to assist in defining the health status of Missouri communities.
Mitigation
Elimination or reduction of the frequency, magnitude, or severity of exposure to risks, or minimization of the potential impact of a threat or warning.
Mobility
The movement of people in a population, as from place to place, from job to job, or from one social class or level to another.
Morbidity
The relative incidence of disease that alters health and quality of life.
Mortality
The number of deaths in a given location or time period.
Musculoskeletal
Relating to or denoting the musculature and skeleton together.
Myocardial Infarction (MI)
Death of the cells of an area of the heart muscle (myocardium) as a result of oxygen deprivation, which in turn results from obstruction of the blood supply; commonly referred to as a heart attack.
N
National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS)
The national nonprofit organization representing the state vital records and public health statistics offices for the United States and its territories.
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
NAAQS are standards established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under authority of the Clean Air Act that apply for outdoor air throughout the country. Two types of national ambient air quality standards are defined:
- Primary standards provide public health protection, including protecting the health of "sensitive" populations such as asthmatics, children, and the elderly.
- Secondary standards provide public welfare protection, including protection against decreased visibility and damage to animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings.
Nationally Consistent Data and Measures (NCDM)
Standards and guidelines to facilitate nationally consistent data collection, to ensure compatibility and comparability of data and measures across states and localities.
Neonatal Mortality
The statistical rate of infant death during the first 28 days after live birth, expressed as the number of such deaths per 1,000 live births in a specific geographic area or institution in a given period of time.
Neural Tube Defect (NTD)
Birth defects of the brain, spine, or spinal cord. The neural tube is a layer of cells that ultimately develops into the brain and spinal cord. Neural tube defects happen when this tube does not close all the way. The most common NTDs are spina bifida and anencephaly.
Nitrate
A chemical compound that contains oxygen and nitrogen and that is used in fertilizer.
Nitrogen Oxide (NOx)
Nitrogen Oxide consists of nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) and is a group of gases composed of nitrogen and oxygen. Three forms are defined as:
- Nitric oxide has no color, odor, or taste and is non-toxic. In the air, it is rapidly oxidized to nitrogen dioxide.
- Nitrogen dioxide is a reddish-brown gas with a pungent, irritating odor. It absorbs light and leads to the yellow-brown haze often associated with polluted air.
- Nitrous oxide is a colorless, slightly sweet-smelling, non-toxic gas that occurs naturally in the atmosphere. Man-made sources include combustion processes, specifically from mobile sources (motor vehicles) and stationary sources (power plants and factories).
O
Occupation
A person's usual or principal work or business, especially as a means of earning a living.
Occupational Health
The promotion and maintenance of the highest degree of physical, mental and social well-being of workers in all occupations.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
An agency of the US government (under the Department of Labor) with the responsibility of ensuring safety in the workplace.
Overcrowded Housing
Refers to the situation in which more people are living within a single dwelling than there is space for, so that movement is restricted, privacy is impaired, and it is difficult for the household to perform necessary functions.
Ozone
A form of oxygen, O3, with a peculiar odor suggesting that of weak chlorine, produced when an electric spark or ultraviolet light is passed through air or oxygen. It is found in the atmosphere in small quantities. Ozone in the lower atmosphere contributes to air pollution.
P
Particulate Matter
Also known as particle pollution or PM, particulate matter is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets. Particle pollution is made up of a number of components, including acids (such as nitrates and sulfates), organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles. Two categories are defined:
- Inhalable coarse particles – such as those found near roadways and dusty industries, are larger than 2.5 micrometers and smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter.
- Fine particles – such as those found in smoke and haze, are 2.5 micrometers in diameter and smaller. These particles can be directly emitted from sources such as forest fires, or they can form when gases emitted from power plants, industries and automobiles react in the air.
Part per Billion (ppb)
Concentration by volume of one part of a gas (or vapor) or substance per billion parts of air or liquid. Used in measuring very small concentrations of chemical compounds in air or water.
Part per Million (ppm)
A unit of measure of the amount of dissolved solids in a solution in terms of a ratio between the number of parts of solids to a million parts of total solution.
Perinatal Mortality
The number of stillbirths and deaths in the first week of life per 1,000 live births. The perinatal mortality rate is computed by dividing the number of fetal deaths of 28 or more weeks gestation plus the number of neonatal deaths under 7 days of age, divided by the number of live births plus the fetal deaths at 28 or more weeks of gestational age, times 1000.
Pesticide
A chemical used to prevent, destroy, or repel pests. Pests can be insects, mice and other animals, weeds, fungi, or microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses.
Poison
Any substance that can cause severe organ damage or death if ingested, breathed in, or absorbed through the skin.
Pollution
The presence in or introduction into their environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.
Poverty
State of condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor.
Pneumoconiosis
A group of interstitial lung diseases caused by the inhalation of certain dusts and the lung tissue's reaction to the dust. Black lung disease (coal workers' pneumoconiosis) and silicosis are two major types.
Preterm Birth
Birth of an infant before 37 weeks of pregnancy. For EPHT, preterm births are measured among singleton births only.
Prevalence
The percentage of a population that is affected with a particular cause/condition at a given time period.
Prevention
The act of stopping something or ensuring something does not happen.
Profile
Information about a community that presents a history, description, or analysis.
Public Health Information Network (PHIN)
A national initiative to increase the capacity of public health agencies to electronically exchange health alert messages, disease surveillance information, and other critical public health data.
Public Use Data Sets
Public use data sets will not contain identifiable or potentially identifiable information consistent with applicable federal and state laws. There are two types:
- Health and biomonitoring data – Data sets comprised of aggregated data with all individually identifiable data or information removed.
- Environmental data – Data sets comprised of aggregated or summarized data processed to allow for interpretation of the data while protecting the identity of the individuals who contributed the data.
Q
Query
The information entered into a search field by the user that tells the computer what to search.
R
Race
A group of people who share similar and distinct physical or genetic characteristics, a common culture, history, language, etc.
Radionuclide
An unstable form of a chemical element that radioactively decays, resulting in the emission of nuclear radiation. Some radionuclides occur naturally while others are man-made.
Radon
Naturally occurring colorless, odorless, and chemically inert but radioactive gas present (in varying amounts) in soil, groundwater, and outdoor air. It seeps into and collects in poorly ventilated areas such as basements, mines, and tunnels of buildings, and can reach harmful concentrations.
Ratio
The relationship in quantity, amount, or size between two or more things.
Reproductive Health
A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes.
Research
The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish fact and reach new conclusions.
Risk factor
Any attribute, characteristic or exposure of an individual that increases the likelihood of developing a disease or injury.
S
Schema
The structure of a database system, described in a formal language supported by the database management system (DBMS).
Sex Ratio at Birth
The number of boys born alive per 100 girls born alive. For EPHT, sex ratio at birth applies to singleton births only.
Silicosis
A form of lung disease resulting from occupational exposure to silica dust over a period of years. Silicosis commonly affects workers in dusty industries such as mining and quarrying.
Singleton Birth
A child born singly, rather than one of a multiple birth.
Smog
Fog that has become mixed and polluted with smoke. A form of air pollution produced when sunlight causes chemical reactions among pollutants emitted from different sources.
Socioeconomic Status
Socioeconomic status is an economic and sociological combined total measure of a person's work experience and of an individual's or family's economic and social position in relation to others, based on income, education, and occupation.
Soil
Soil is the loose top layer of the Earth's surface, consisting of rock and mineral particles mixed with organic material, and providing the medium for plant growth.
Spatial Analysis
Spatial analysis is the process of extracting or creating new information about a set of geographic features to perform routine examination, assessment, evaluation, and modeling of features in terms of their positions (spatial) and in terms of their associated descriptive information (attributes).
Spina Bifida
Spina Bifida is characterized by the incomplete development of the brain, spinal cord, and/or meninges (the protective covering around the brain and spinal cord). It is the most common neural tube defect in the United States.
Stakeholder
A stakeholder is any person, organization, social group, or society that has a stake in the business. Stakeholders can affect or be affected by the business's actions, objectives and policies.
Statistics
Statistics is a branch of mathematics dealing with the collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of masses of numerical data. Common statistical measures include:
- Count is the sum of occurrence of a cause/condition. Counts are calculated by adding the total value for each data element selected.
- Percentage is a part of a whole value expressed in hundredths. A percentage is calculated by dividing the value of interest by the total of all values and multiplying by 100.
- Rate is a measure of the frequency of occurrence of a cause/condition. Rates are calculated by dividing a count by the population at risk for a given time period, then multiplying by a constant (usually 100,000).
Sulfur Dioxide
Sulfur Dioxide is a colorless, nonflammable, water-soluble, suffocating gas, SO2, formed when sulfur burns. It is used chiefly in the manufacture of sulfuric acid, in preserving fruits and vegetables, and in bleaching
Suppression
Suppression refers to a statistical practice used to protect patient confidentiality and potentially identifyinginformation by withholding or excluding small numbers within a specific demographic or geography.
Surface Water
Surface water is natural water that has not penetrated much below the surface of the ground such as in a stream, river, lake, wetland or ocean.
T
Target Population
Target Population is a particular group of people that is identified as the intended recipient of an advertisement, product or campaign. Also called target audience.
Term Birth
Term birth is childbirth at the end of a normal duration of pregnancy, between 37 to 40 weeks of gestation or about 280 days from the first day of the mother's last menstrual period.
Test
A test is any blood lead draw (capillary, venous or unknown sample type) on a child that produces a quantifiable result and is analyzed by a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified facility or an approved portable device. A blood lead test may be collected for screening, confirmation, or follow-up.
- Screening test – A blood lead test for a child age <72 months who previously did not have a confirmed elevated BLL. (NOTE: A child may be screened in multiple years or even multiple times within a given year, but would be counted only once for each year.)
- Elevated BLL – A single blood lead test (capillary or venous) at or above the reference range value of 5 µg/dL established in 2012.
- Confirmed elevated BLL ≥ 10 μg/dL – A child with one venous blood specimen ≥ 10 μg/dL, or two capillary blood specimens ≥ 10 μg/dL drawn within 12 weeks of each other.
- Unconfirmed elevated BLL ≥ 10 μg/dL – A single capillary blood lead test ≥ 10 μg/dL, or two capillary tests ≥ 10 μg/dL drawn more than 12 weeks apart.
- Percent of children with confirmed elevated BLLS – The number of children less than 72 months of age with a confirmed elevated blood lead level ≥5 µg/dL divided by the number of children less than 72 months of age tested for blood lead, multiplied by 100. Also referenced as “Case Rate.”
- Percent of children tested – The number of children less than 72 months of age tested for blood lead divided by the total number of children less than 72 months of age based on 2000 (years) or 2010 (years) U.S. Census data, multiplied by 100.
Tetralogy of Fallot
Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital malformation of the heart characterized by an abnormal opening in the septum diving the ventricles, misplacement of the aorta so that it receives blood from both ventricles instead of only the left ventricle, narrowing of the pulmonary artery, and enlargement of the right ventricle.
Transposition of the Great Arteries
Transposition of the Great Arteries refers to a heart defect that occurs from birth (congenital). The two major vessels that carry blood away from the heart -- the aorta and the pulmonary artery -- are switched (transposed).
U
Uninsured
An uninsured person is one not covered by insurance.
Upper Limb Deficiencies
Upper limb deficiencies is a birth defect that occurs when a part of or the arm (upper limb) of a fetus fails to form completely during pregnancy.
US Census Bureau
The US Census Bureau is the principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System responsible for producing data about the American people and economy.
US Geological Survey (USGS)
USGS is a science organization that provides impartial information on the health of our ecosystems and environment, the natural hazards that threaten us, the natural resources we rely on, the impacts of climate and land-use change, and the core science systems that help us provide timely, relevant and useable information.
Vacancy Rate
Vacancy rate is the percentage of built space in the markets that are currently unoccupied or are available for rent.
Vehicular Fatalities
Vehicular fatalities means any person killed immediately or dying within 30 days as a result of a vehicular accident.
Vital Statistics
Vital statistics is data derived from certificates and reports of birth, death, fetal death, induced termination of pregnancy, marriage, (divorce, dissolution of marriage, or annulment) and related reports.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary room temperature. Their high vapor pressure results from a low boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and enter the surrounding air.
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Water Quality Criteria
Water quality criteria refers to specific levels of water quality desired for identified uses, including drinking, recreation, farming, fish production, propagation of other aquatic life, and agricultural and industrial processes.
Watershed
A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off it goes into the same place.
Worker’s Compensation
Worker’s compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence.
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ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs™)
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs™) are approximate area representations of U.S. Postal Service five-digit ZIP Code service areas that the Census Bureau creates using whole blocks to present statistical data from censuses and surveys.