National Center for Health Statistics Data Presentation Standards for Rates and Counts: Data Evaluation and Methods Research

Abstract

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) shares information on a broad range of health topics through various publications. These publications must rely on clear and transparent presentation standards that can be broadly and efficiently applied. Standards are particularly important when indicators of precision cannot be included alongside the estimates, such as for some large, cross-cutting reports and for shorter communications on social media. Objective This report describes the NCHS data presentation standards for rates and counts. Results The multistep NCHS data presentation standards for rates and counts are based on a minimum sample size and the relative width of a confidence interval (CI). Specific criteria for rates and counts, including the CI calculations used, differ between vital statistics and health surveys and may differ according to the source of the denominator. Conclusion The NCHS data presentation standards for rates and counts will be applied to all NCHS publications. Using these standards, some estimates will be identified as unreliable and suppressed, and some estimates will be flagged for statistical review. For reports where estimates are evaluated individually, a particular estimate that does not meet the NCHS data presentation standards for rates and counts could be identified as unreliable but not be suppressed if it can be interpreted appropriately in the context of subject-specific factors and report objectives.