title: Data to action: using environmental public health tracking to inform decision making.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Public health surveillance includes dissemination of data and information to those who need it to take action to prevent or control disease. The concept of data to action is explicit in the mission of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (Tracking Program). The CDC has built a National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) to integrate health and environmental data to drive public health action (PHA) to improve communities' health.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the utility of the Tracking Program and Tracking Network in environmental public health practice and policy making.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed information on how Tracking (all program components hereafter referred to generally as "Tracking") has been used to drive PHAs within funded states and cities (grantees). Two case studies are presented to highlight Tracking's utility.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analyses included all grantees funded between 2005 and 2013.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven states, 3 cities, and the District of Columbia ever received funding.
  
  
  METHODS
  We categorized each PHA reported to determine how grantees became involved, their role, the problems addressed, and the overall action.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tracking grantees reported 178 PHAs from 2006 to 2013. The most common overall action was "provided information in response to concern" (n = 42), followed by "improved a public health program, intervention, or response plan" (n = 35). Tracking's role was most often either to enhance surveillance (24%) or to analyze data (23%). In 47% of PHAs, the underlying problem was a concern about possible elevated rates of a health outcome, a potential exposure, or a potential association between a hazard and a health outcome. PHAs were started by a request for assistance (48%), in response to an emergency (8%), and though routine work by Tracking programs (43%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our review shows that the data, expertise, technical infrastructure, and other resources of the Tracking Program and Tracking Network are driving state and local PHAs.
authors.affiliation: Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for Environmental Health, Office of Non-infectious Diseases, Injury and Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Judith R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Qualters
authors.forename: Heather M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Strosnider
authors.forename: Rosalyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D002249:Carbon Monoxide Poisoning / Q000517:prevention & control; D002487:Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. / Q000458:organization & administration; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods; D007255:Information Services / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010575:Pesticides; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D010575:Pesticides