Blog

Strengths and Limitations of Secondary Data Sources

In this information age, where data are readily accessible and there is both a great demand for accelerated research projects and strict limitations on research funding, using existing data makes sense. Data used in this way are called secondary data; they come in many forms and contain information on just about anything—depending on who collected the information in the first place, and why.

 

 

As a health professional, you have access to a wide range of secondary data sources, including government agencies (such as, the Census Bureau or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and private sources, including local health service providers. Global and international data are available from familiar sources, such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations. In addition, nearly every nation maintains statistics on social, economic, and environmental indicators, which contain a wealth of health information.

Secondary Data Sources

As a member of the Walden community, you have access to the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), the world’s largest archival database of secondary data. You also have access to the Social Change Impact Report (SCIR) data sets—a Walden-owned database. There are also a number of sources and tutorials available to you through Walden’s Office of Research and Doctoral Quality.
No matter the topic—be it vaccination rates, women’s access to mammography, or chronic lung disease—you can probably find an existing secondary data source related to the specific population health problem you are investigating. The next steps are to identify the variables in the data source that you would need to analyze to examine the association of interest and to assess the validity of the data source. For this Assignment, you delve into these issues in greater detail.

Secondary Data Sources

Resources

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.

WEEKLY RESOURCES

Required Readings

• Curley, A. L. C. (Ed.). (2024). Population-based nursing: Concepts and competencies for advanced practice (4th ed.). Springer.
  • Chapter 7, “Using Information Technology to Improve Population Outcomes” (pp. 158-182)
• Friis, R. H., & Sellers, T. A. (2021). Epidemiology for public health practice (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett.
  • Chapter 4, “Descriptive Epidemiology: Person, Place, Time”
  • Chapter 5, “Sources of Data for Use in Epidemiology”
• National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine. (2019). Finding and using health statistics.Links to an external site. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nichsr/stats_tutorial/cover.html

SECONDARY DATA SOURCES

Use the following resources to locate secondary data sources for this week’s Assignment:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Data.CDC.gov: Home.Links to an external site. https://data.cdc.gov/
• National Center for Health Statistics. (2015). Resources for researchers.Links to an external site. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nchs_for_you/researchers.htm
• Walden University Office of Research and Doctoral Services. (n.d.). Explore existing datasets.Links to an external site. https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/research-center/student-research/data-sources
• World Health Organization. (2021). WHO Data collectionsLinks to an external site. [Data sets]. https://www.who.int/data/collections

Secondary Data Sources

Required Media

• Walden University, LLC. (2021). Descriptive epidemiology—person, place, and timeLinks to an external site. [Interactive media]. Walden University Blackboard. https://class.waldenu.edu
• Walden University, LLC. (2021). Theoretical models—One Health and socioecological modelLinks to an external site.[Interactive media]. Walden University Blackboard. https://class.waldenu.edu

 

To prepare:

• Consider a variety of population health problems and then select one of professional interest on which to focus for this Assignment.
• Explore three data sources (data sets) presented in the Learning Resources that could aid you in describing the population and magnitude of the problem you selected. Consider the strengths and limitations of each data source.

The Assignment

In  4 pages (not including title page and references), analyze the data sources you selected by addressing the following:

• Briefly identify the population health problem you selected.,
• Identify each data set you selected.,
• Identify the variables in each data set you would need to examine the association of interest.,
• Assess the validity of each data set. Has it been used for prior studies/publications?,
• Explain challenges you might face as a researcher in identifying a proper data set or securing permission to use it.

By Day 7 of Week 2

Submit your Assignment.

submission information

Before submitting your final assignment, you can check your draft for authenticity. To check your draft, access the Turnitin Drafts from the Start Here area.

1. To submit your completed assignment, save your Assignment as WK2Assgn_LastName_Firstinitial
2. Then, click on Start Assignment near the top of the page.
3. Next, click on Upload File and select Submit Assignment for review.