Public health surveillance of low-frequency populations

Elena M. Andresen, Paula H. Diehr, Douglas A. Luke

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

35 Scopus citations

Abstract

Public health agencies often require data that address the needs of special populations, such as minority groups. Sources of surveillance data often contain insufficient numbers of subjects to fully inform health agencies. In this review, we address the problems of and potential approaches for situations with insufficient surveillance data. We use the examples of race and ethnic minority groups throughout our discussion. However, many of the broad issues are applicable to other special groups with low frequency or who are especially hard to reach. Our recommendations are based, in part, on a symposium held in Missouri with the collaboration of state health agency, community, and academic research participants. We review problems in using existing data and collecting new data, especially from nonprobability samples. We also describe fieldwork issues for reaching and collecting information from special populations. Decisions among methods and solutions may require seeking additional resources for surveillance.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)25-52
Number of pages28
JournalAnnual Review of Public Health
Volume25
DOIs
StatePublished - 2004
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Methods
  • Minority groups
  • Population surveillance
  • Sampling studies
  • Statistical

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Public health surveillance of low-frequency populations'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this