Tribal Public Health Data Toolkits

Use these tribal public health data toolkits to evaluate and monitor the public health of your Tribe or tribal community, identify important public health issues, and track progress.

Developed to help Tribes and organizations assess the big picture in their communities related to commercial tobacco use and cancer, the health surveys found on this page can be used to:

  • determine Tribe-specific and regional commercial tobacco use and cancer risk behavior prevalence rates
  • design appropriate Tribal health systems programs to reduce these rates
  • monitor the impact of programs, policies, systems, and environmental changes.

The data obtained through these tools also may help Tribes and tribal organizations obtain grant funding for prevention and control efforts.

Identifying Governmental Public Health Systems Barriers and Facilitators to Complying with and Expanding Race and Ethnicity Data Disaggregation Standards

This report is a resource developed to inform the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's programmatic strategy on data disaggregation.  The team was charged with understanding the logistical barriers to racial and ethnic data disaggregation within governmental public health systems.

Link to Report

Tribal Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Toolkit

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a telephone survey developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to collect data on health behaviors. Tribes utilize the BRFSS to develop Tribe and region-specific health behavior profiles, track health behavior changes over time, and to identify both strengths as well as areas of need in health behavior education, outreach, and supportive policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) approaches. Numerous  tribal organizations conduct Tribal BRFSS as tribally-led surveillance and/or in partnership with States.

LINK TO TOOLKIT

Tribal Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System Toolkit

Focused on youth, The Youth Risk Behavior Survey was developed by the CDC to measure health behaviors of youth across six areas: violence/unintentional injury, sexual behavior, tobacco usage, alcohol and drug usage, physical activity, and diet. Tribal organizations use the Tribal YRBS as tribally-led surveillance, often in partnership with States, to develop Tribe and region-specific youth health risk behavior profiles, track changes over time, and to identify strengths and areas in need for risk behavior education, outreach and PSE approaches.

Download

American Indian Adult Tobacco Survey (AI ATS)

Focused on commercial tobacco use, the AI ATS is a surveillance and monitoring tool developed by the CDC that utilizes culturally appropriate methods, including in-person interviews conducted by trained community members who recognize cultural uses of tobacco. The AI ATS is used by Tribes and tribal organizations to assess tribal community knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about commercial tobacco use, smoking status, secondhand smoke exposure, other tobacco product use, and cessation efforts. Findings are used to develop Tribe-specific and regional profiles, track prevalence rates over time, and to design commercial tobacco use prevention and control programs and PSE approaches to address tribal community needs.

TOOLKIT RESOURCES

AI ATS Checklist

Resolution Template

Example AI ATS Data Sharing Agreement

Example IRB Application

Example Letter of Support

AI ATS Supplemental Questions

Cancer Registry Linkage Toolkit

This toolkit guides interested Tribes or tribal organization through the process of linking state cancer registry and tribal enrollment data, to correct racial misclassifications, ensure that AI/AN individuals are counted in state and national statistics, and to develop Tribe-specific cancer incidence data owned by the Tribe. Tribes may use this data to plan and provide appropriate cancer prevention, screening, treatment, and survivorship services to their communities and to obtain and allocate funds where they are most needed.

LINK TO TOOLKIT

Community Health Assessment aNd Group Evaluation (CHANGE) Tool

The CHANGE Tool was developed by CDC and may be used by Tribes to identify community strengths, prioritize needs, and identify policy, system, and environmental approaches to healthy living, including physical activity, nutrition, commercial tobacco, chronic disease management, and leadership. The CHANGE Tool is available on CDC’s website.

CDC CHANGE Tool