Databooks are now available for the following birth certificate indicators for the 12-year period 1994 through 2005: crude birth rate and fertility; low birthweight, very low birthweight, and preterm birth; birth interval for women and teens, and prenatal care. We previously released the discharge data indicators for the same period: injury, mental health, asthma. Perinatal mortality and child death indicators will be available shortly after we receive the 2005 death files.

Data which is required by the state MCAH Branch for Title V Needs Assessments and reports is available on the FHOP website. The data for the perinatal indicators and those related to mortality and hospital discharge are contained in county specific files that can be downloaded. The data are displayed in a set of EXCEL spreadsheets. For each indicator the set includes a page for: county numerators and denominators; state numerators and denominators; indicator definitions; data quality (ie missing or unlikely values) for that county; a table of rates for the county and state with confidence intervals for each of the 12 years, and a trend graph that compares trend lines with a table showing statistical tests for significance of the various trend lines. In addition, each county file contains a separate set of spreadsheets for each indicator for the geographic region that includes that county with corresponding tables and graphs so that the county can compare itself to the region as a whole.

In this training, you will be able to:

• navigate the FHOP website to find the databooks (spreadsheets) and other county specific data
• articulate the range of indicators included in the spreadsheets
• describe the impact of data quality on indicator values
• accurately interpret comparative information on the rate tables
• accurately interpret the trend graphs

In 2000 in compliance with OMB guidelines California joined other states in implementing a multi-race choice on birth and death certificates. This is a report using 2003 birth certificate data form California, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Utah that compares maternal characteristics and birth outcomes between single and multi-race births. Outcomes vary by type of racial mix.

Supercourse is a global repository of lectures on public health and prevention targeting educators across the world. It has a network of over 42,500 scientists in 171 countries who are sharing for free a library of over 3,172 lectures in 26 languages. The site includes several GIS-related courses as well as valuable public health and global health lectures from universities such as Harvard or the London School of Economics. The concept of the Supercourse and its lecture style has been described as the Global Health Network University and the Hypertext Comic Books.

FHOP staff has been having quite a time browsing Supercourse. One personal favorite has been the set of lectures by Nobel prize winners. Those of you who know children with inquiring minds might want to direct them to the introductory course to public health statistics for high school students with an international competition and prize.