Availability of Data to Measure Disparities in Leading Health Indicators at the State and Local Levels.

<I>Healthy People 2010</I> identifies the elimination of health disparities as a critical national goal. This article analyzes the availability of state and local data to support this goal. Researchers assessed data availability for the 10 leading health indicators, comprising a set of 26 measures, and based their analysis on a mid-2007 review of federal and state websites. They conclude that some relevant state-level disparities data exist, major gaps remain, local estimates are limited, and some states make better use of data than others. Federal leadership and support are critical to states’ abilities to address the <I>Healthy People 2010’s</I> disparities goal.