Research Assignment
(50 points possible)
The purposes of this multi-phased assignment are to:
1. Practice accessing and interpreting various public health data sets that you are
interested in; and to
2. Critically evaluate the outcomes of the data you collected and connect them to
HE 213: Men's Health.
Background:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides access to data they've
collected to the general public and public health officials.
You will access two different systems and practice using:

WONDER (Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research) - This will be
used to investigate detailed causes of death

WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) - This will
be used to investigate injury-related data
For each system, WONDER and WISQARS, you will access information you’re
interested in and have questions to respond to. This assignment is worth 50 points total.
It is highly encouraged that you investigate questions that you are interested in. A model
is provided. It is encouraged to work along with the model while you run your
investigation.
Note: In both WONDER and WISQAR, when the results are provided, actual 'counts' are
displayed. These are very important pieces of information. Equally, if not more important,
is the Crude Rate which is also provided. The crude rate identifies the 'concentration' of
the counts. For example, if 5 people have a disease in a population set of 100, there is a
higher Crude Rate (concentration) than if the 5 diseased individuals were in a population
set of 100,000.
CDC WONDER
You will use the CDC’s
WONDER: Underlying Cause
of Death database to determine
the counts and rates of death.
1. Go to wonder.cdc.gov
2. Select ‘Detailed Mortality’.
3. Read through and accept
the Terms of Use.
4. To start, reflect upon what
you wish to investigate.
a. Maybe you’re
interested in seeing
how a certain
disease or condition affects a certain population?
b. Maybe you’re interested in seeing how a certain disease differs across the
country?
c. Maybe you’re interested in seeing how a certain disease affects different age
groups?
5. The trick is finding the correct ICD-10 codes to the disease you’re interested in
investigating. You can explore Section 6 in WONDER; some people find success in
using different internet search-tools.
a. For my example, I am curious how death from cancer of the esophagus
varies by race and age. (The vast majority of cases of this cancer stem from
smoking and so I’m just curious.)
b. Through my research, I find that I want ICD-10 Code: C15 – Malignant
neoplasm of oesophagus
6. What do you wish to investigate? What is the corresponding ICD-10 Code?
7. Scroll down to Section 6 and select the corresponding ICD-10 Code that you’re
interested in.
8. Go back to the top of your search page.
a. In Section 1, be sure to have Age Groups selected. You may choose
another variable, but it isn’t necessary.
i. In my example, I have Age Group and Race selected.
b. In Section 2, unless you are interested in a particular state, leave *All*
selected.
c. In Section 3, there is no need to modify ages unless that is what you’re
interested in. Do select Male in the Gender box.
i. In my example, I only modified the Gender box to read Male.
d. In Section 4, are you interested in a particular year? The most recent one that
has available data? Or, are you interested in *All* dates?
i. In my example, I was interested in 2009.
e. In Section 5, leave all the options alone.
f.
In Section 6, review that you have the correct ICD-10 selected.
g. In Section 7, keep everything as is.
h. In Section 8, keep everything as is.
9. Once you are done, click ‘Send’ at the bottom of the page.
10. Take a few moments to review your Data Report.
a. The first column has the age ranges.
b. The next column, Deaths, has the actual real count
c. The Population column identifies how many people where in that particular
age range in that particular year(s).
d. The Crude Rate column identifies the rate per 100,000, the ‘concentration’ as
noted at the start of this assignment.
e. My example has an additional column teasing out Race from the data.
11. Here is an excerpt from my search:
12. Remember, I am looking at deaths from cancer of the esophagus in men, in 2009,
broken out by race and age. I can see certain populations are affected differently,
which coincides with smoking rates.
13. You will now summarize your data.
CDC WONDER Results Page
(25 points total)
1. What is it you are researching? Be sure to identify: (5 points)
a. The population you are interested in
b. The Cause of Death and ICD-10 code you’re using
c. The year(s) you’re exploring
d. The geographical region searched
2. Discuss your outcomes.
a. What surprises you? (3 points)
b. What patterns do you observe? (3 points)
c. What might explain some of these patterns? (3 points)
3. How do these outcomes connect with previous information from our HE 213: Men’s
Health class? (5 points)
4. What can you do, as a health student, to further evaluate your conclusions and
assumptions about the data? What would be your course of action? Note: It is not
necessary or even requested that you actually perform this step; Simply identify and
describe what you would do. (5 points)
CDC WISQARS
You will use the CDC’s WISWARS to investigate how fatal injuries affect men in the
United States.
1. Go to WISQARS Fatal
injury webpage
2. Select ‘Fatal Injury
Reports’.
3. Select ‘Fatal Injury
Reports 1999 – 2009,
National or Regional’.
4. To start, reflect upon
what you wish to
investigate.
a. Maybe you’re interested in seeing how a certain event affects a certain
population?
b. Maybe you’re interested in seeing how a certain event differs across the
country?
c. Maybe you’re interested in seeing how a certain event affects different age
groups?
5. Make your selections.
a. In Section 1, choose the intent or manner of the
injury.
b. In Section 2, choose the cause or mechanism.
c. In Section 3, change only the Sex box to Male.
d. In the Advanced Options area, change only the
‘Select output group(s) to Age Group. If you’re
interested in another separation of the data,
change it here.
e. In my example, I’m looking at:
i. Suicide (remember Table 1.4 from the text)
ii. All types of injury
iii. Only Men
iv. Broken down by Age Group
v. And my data looks like:
1. Note how the Crude Rate increases
as men age
6. Take a few moments to review your data output. You will
now summarize your data.
CDC WISAQRS Results Page
(25 points total)
1. What is it you are researching? Be sure to identify: (5 points)
a. The intent or manner of injury
b. The cause or mechanism
2. Discuss your outcomes.
a. What surprises you? (3 points)
b. What patterns do you observe? (3 points)
c. What might explain some of these patterns? (3 points)
3. How do these outcomes connect with previous information from our HE 213: Men’s
Health class? (5 points)
4. What can you do, as a health student, to further evaluate your conclusions and
assumptions about the data? What would be your course of action? Note: It is not
necessary or even requested that you actually perform this step; Simply identify and
describe what you would do. (5 points)