Problems with surveillance methods for alcoholism: differences in coding systems among federal, state, and private agencies.
Social indicator systems can serve as a social accounting method to guide public policy on alcoholism, utilizing data which are routinely collected at public expense. An attempt to develop an alcoholism social indicator system for Minnesota demonstrated many differences in the coding schemes used by various state agencies and institutions. These findings have relevance to other social indicator systems being developed to assess public policies regarding the people's health.
Westermeyer
J
J
Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455.
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D003625:Data Collection / Q000592:standards*; D003710:Demography; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D006077:Government Agencies; D006801:Humans; D008910:Minnesota; D011159:Population Surveillance; D014481:United States; D014837:Voluntary Health Agencies