Arkansas Statewide Public Health Database Available Online

A Prevention Research Center Tool Showing Evidence of Effectiveness

OVERVIEW

An Arkansas public health database allows easy, online public access to state health data. Known as the Public Health in Arkansas Communities Search database (PHACS),external icon the database was created to meet demand for public health information. Users can search by county. It is available to the public, researchers, community groups, and college and high school students, and includes more than 100 health indicators, including:¹

• Demographics: Includes population by race and age
• Social/Economic Factors: Includes income, unemployment, and education
• Access to Health Care: Includes number of doctors, dentists, and hospitals within each county
• Risk Behavior: Includes risk factor information such as number of smokers, binge drinking, and teen drug use
• Preventive Behavior: Includes specific preventive care behavior recommendations for numerous health topics
• Health Outcomes: Includes numbers of those with diabetes, heart disease, and mortality rates²

The database is updated twice year a year.

RESEARCH RESULTS

The site was launched with support from the Arkansas Prevention Research Center (ARPRC) and the University of Arkansas Medical School, Translational Research Institute (TRI). Over time, PHACS has received funding and support from the Arkansas Department of Health, and the Arkansas Minority Health Commission. Launched in August 2010, more than 7,000 people have accessed Arkansas’s health data. In 2017, the most popular topics were demographics, maternal and child health indicators, teen suicide, and alcohol and drug usage. During 2016-2017, 81% of users were from Arkansas, 4% from Texas, and 2% from Tennessee.

IMPACT

The database has recently been adopted by the Arkansas Department of Health, so that it can be sustained over time and expanded in the near future to include additional health indicators and reporting features. With this tool, researchers and planners have access to the public health status of populations within Arkansas.

TOOL LOCATION

For more information about the PHACS Tool: http://publichealth.uams.edu/community/phacs/external icon and http://uams.edu/phacs/external icon.

¹ http://uams.edu/phacs/about.aspxexternal icon