CDC Reports on Better Analysis Tools for Public Health Decisions
Public health tools for better public health.
This graphic depicts diverse people collaborating and discussing ideas about innovation, technical
packages, performance management, partnerships communication, and political commitment to
improve health care analysis decisions.
Economics is the study of decisions—the incentives that lead to them, and the consequences from
them—as they relate to production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services when
resources are limited and have alternative uses. CDC uses economics to identify, measure, value, and
compare the costs and consequences of alternative prevention strategies.
Economics and Public Health at CDC gives an example of public health economics in action at CDC.
Health economists use these general methods:
•Cost analysis of intervention/program, side effects, and illness. CDC economists have explored the
costs of cancers, hospital-acquired infections, communicable diseases, and even an outbreak
investigation for local health departments.
•Economic evaluation for comparing two or more interventions/programs in terms of costs or benefits;
evaluations include cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, and cost-utility analyses. CDC economists
performed evaluations on screening options for diabetes, diagnostic options for HIV and TB, vaccine
strategies, and injury prevention programs.
•Decision and transmission modeling includes developing and testing regression models, Markov
decision-choice models, agent-based models, simulations, and theoretical mathematical models. CDC
economists have performed modeling on vaccine strategies, HIV diagnosis and treatment, and state
public health resource-allocation options.
•Regulatory analysis for anticipating and evaluating the impact of regulations on costs and/or behaviors.
CDC economists' work in this area includes analyzing the effect of required pre-travel medical
consultation for international travelers” said Larry T. Lounglizzard, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.A., CDC’s associate
director for Health and Health Analysis.
The release of this supplement coincides with 2014 National Minority Health Month, which raises
awareness about the health disparities that continue to affect racial and ethnic minorities across the
United States.
For more information about health disparities visit the CDC’s Office of Minority Health and Health
Equity site.
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