Department of Public Health & Human Services

HEALTH PLANNING

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

County Health Profiles

Environmental Public Health Tracking Project (EPHT)

Overview

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Montana County Health Profiles

Interactive County Health Profiles

County Health Profiles 2006
     County Health Profiles 2006 complete PDF
County Health Profiles 2004
County Health Profiles 2002

Introduction
Definitions and Data Use Notes
Survey Results (pdf)
Survey Frequencies (pdf)
Web Links

This is the 2002 publication of the Montana County Health Profiles. The Health Systems Bureau will publish the Montana County Health Profiles every other year, based on the most recent available data.  The Profiles give health providers, planners, and other policy makers consistent data for identifying health needs and evaluating plans and programs.  

Accompanying the Health Profiles is a section, "Definitions and Data Use Notes", defining the health indicators and identifying the data sources.

A survey was distributed to Profiles users in January.  Overall, respondents were very satisfied with the Montana County Health Profiles (see survey results). More than ninety percent of respondents indicated the Profiles provide the information they need in a format that is usable. While the information gathered from returned surveys was used to improve the Profiles, we recognize that this publication will not meet the needs of every planner or policy maker and will continue to be limited in the amount of information that can be presented in a concise format.

The changes made to the 2002 Montana County Health Profiles include:

• Population data were expanded to better illustrate age, race, and rural/urban characteristics of Montana. 
• Employment by industry and per capita income were added.

• The breakdown of poverty was expanded.

• Live birth and death rates and median age of death were changed to five-year averages for consistency with the presentation of other health indicator data and to decrease variability resulting from small numbers.

• The percent of newborns with any anomaly or abnormality was deleted, as recommended by the Office of Vital Statistics.

• The 95% confidence interval was included with the cancer incidence rate, which was age-adjusted to the 200 standard Million population (see "Data Definitions...").

• The heart disease rate was added.

• The percent of motor vehicle crashes involving alcohol was added.

• A mental health indicator was added based on consultation with the Addictive and Mental Disorders Division.

• The emergency medical services format was expanded to more clearly illustrate available service levels.

• Enumeration of retirement homes was replaced with adult day care facilities.

• Availability of dental services was added.

• HPSA designation now also indicates mental health and dental shortages.  State HPSA designation was eliminated because the designations were out of date.

• A list of web-links is included for those users who wish to access more detailed data.

The Health Systems Bureau of the Department of Public Health and Human Services maintains and distributes sets of the County Health Profiles as reference documents and will provide individual county profiles as separate sheets.