New tool projects the impacts policies, programs will have in your community

Here’s a new resource to help you make informed decisions about what programs or policies can make your community healthier. HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research and Partnership for Prevention are introducing Community Health Advisor, an online tool that provides customizable information about the potential health and cost impact of implementing evidence-based community interventions. 

Community Health Advisor starts with policies and programs recommended in The Guide to Community Preventive Services. It builds on those recommendations by providing customizable information that community leaders can use. How would smoking rates or obesity prevalence change if policies and programs were implemented? What would be the impact of changes in smoking and physical activity rates on illness and death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, or other conditions? And how would medical care costs change with changes in health?

Community Health Advisor includes the following features: 

• An interactive tool that generates national, state, and county-level estimates of the health and cost impact of implementing community interventions; 
• The option to view estimates by demographic group based on sex, age, and race/ethnicity; 
• Summary information about recommendations and evidence from the Community Preventive Services Task Force; 
• General information to help users estimate the cost of implementing interventions in their own communities; and 
• Links to related resources. 

Users can view detailed, 30-year projections for various measures of health behavior, health impact, and medical care cost, including: 

• Smoking prevalence and the number of smokers who start smoking or quit; 
• Obesity and overweight prevalence and the percentage of the population that meets physical activity guidelines; 
• Disease prevalence and health events, including cancers, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and diabetes; 
• Years of life and quality-adjusted years of life; and 
• Medical care costs from smoking-attributable and obesity-related disease 

To view specific smoking and physical activity interventions and see the potential health and cost benefits you could achieve, visit communityhealthadvisor.org. If you want more information or have any questions, contact  [email protected].