Life expectancy data is an important metric for towns and cities as a "a global measure of health at the community level," researchers say. (Getty Images)
If you’ve ever wondered how the health of your city compares to other towns in the U.S., there’s a tool for that.
The City Health Dashboard, housed in the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, has incorporated new public health data for 1,000 U.S. cities, with breakdowns by race, ethnicity and by sex. Although the dashboard was initially designed for city leaders and lawmakers, the searchable data provides a tool for anyone "to learn about their city and their neighborhoods to get involved."
City Health Dashboard
What they're saying:
Lorna Thorpe, chair of the Department of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said the City Health Dashboard launched in 2018 using public health data for the largest 500 cities in the U.S. At the time, it was a tool for cities to use in crafting policies and programs to help improve local health outcomes.
"We were hearing from mayors and city leaders that they felt responsible for the health of the residents of their cities," explained Ben Spoer, program director for City Health Dashboard.
Since then, the dashboard has expanded to 1,000 cities and added 11 years of life expectancy data.
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"Our initial primary audience was city policy makers … a real belief in what gets measured can get done," Thorpe said. "And our hope was that cities could use these data to really leverage the data to improve the health and well-being of communities. But over time, the dashboard has grown many audiences.
"We strongly believe that these are useful data for people to learn about their city and about their neighborhoods to get involved," Thorpe continued. "And so at some fundamental level, we're really hoping that these data drive and stimulate civic engagement."
What else does the dashboard measure?
Dig deeper:
Thorpe said the new life expectancy data is an important metric for towns and cities as a "a global measure of health at the community level."
"I think that is a way for a city to really understand how it's doing compared to other cities," she said.
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But there are dozens of other health metrics available on the City Health Dashboard, and they’re all searchable and easy to compare with other cities. Measures like prenatal care, children in poverty, cardiovascular mortality and carbon emissions are also heavily viewed and downloaded on the dashboard. Other measures include rates of obesity, opioid deaths, food insecurity, walkability and rent burden, among others.
"We look very carefully each year at what is used and downloaded the most," Thorpe said. "We don’t always know why one metric might suddenly spike for a while."
What you can do:
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The Source: This article includes comments and information from Lorna Thorpe, chair of the Department of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and Ben Spoer, program director for City Health Dashboard.