People are often surprised how difficult it can be to find health and medical statistics. Data collection in the United States is a fairly recent activity and it was not until 1956 that Congress enacted legislation to establish the US National Health Survey in order to collect statistics on disease, injury, impairment, disability, and other health related topics. Data collection and analysis at a national level takes time to compile, so it is often difficult to find data for the most recent years.
To help you locate statistical information the National Library of Medicine (NLM) has published a new subject guide. It is not designed to be exhaustive but is intended as a pointer to major information sources.
