The Challenge
Environmental public health indicators are fundamental components of climate and health programs and important initial steps for climate change adaption plans or vulnerability assessments. These indicators have been previously developed at the federal and state levels, but these efforts often leveraged large datasets that may not have been designed to provide local- or county-level estimates. Further, where state-level indicators have been developed, these may not be appropriate to inform local public health planning efforts. Local health departments must therefore adapt these indicators or develop their own to monitor changes in climate-related conditions and inform planning efforts at the local level. These indicators can also help inform local community education and outreach efforts related to climate change and health.
The Solution
With support from NACCHO’s Demonstration Sites in Climate and Health program, Franklin County Public Health developed a set of local environmental public health indicators related to climate and health for Franklin County, Ohio. We first reviewed similar efforts at the federal and state levels or in other local health jurisdictions. We also met with partner agencies working at the intersection of climate and health in our own jurisdiction to review ongoing efforts and available resources.
We began by identifying broad indicator categories related to the projected effects of climate change in our jurisdiction. Within each category, we then identified specific measures that could be quantified and tracked over time. Our current list set of indicators includes 13 climate and 26 health measures related to climate change. For most of these, we’ve quantified five-year historical estimates and plan to add new estimates each year as additional data become available. For others, we are still looking to identify local data sources that will enable us to track changes over time. Going forward, we plan to refine and add to these measures as appropriate.
These indicators will not only allow us to track the health effects of climate change over time, but will enable us to further incorporate them into future planning and assessment efforts, such as community health assessments, climate adaptation planning, or vulnerability assessments. Further, these indicators will also help inform our education and outreach efforts related to climate and health.
Lessons Learned
- To develop these indicators in your own jurisdiction, begin by reviewing similar efforts undertaken by other federal, state, or local health agencies. You may be able to adapt previously developed indicators if they align with the anticipated effects of climate change in your jurisdiction.
- Coordinate with community organizations working on climate and health to better understand the work already being done and what data or other resources they may be able to contribute.
- Identify broad categories of indicators that are relevant to your jurisdiction and then narrow the focus to identify more-specific metrics that can be measured and tracked over time.
- Finally, consider the indicator list a “living document” that you can refine and add to over time.
This project is based on funding from the National Association of County and City Health Officials, supported by Cooperative Agreement Grant OT18-1802 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
Contact Information for Franklin County Public Health
Alexander Evans
Epidemiologist, Environmental Health Division
Franklin County Public Health
[email protected]
