To promote the effective use of statistics on health and aging, the American Society on Aging, in partnership with the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) and the University of Michigan Social Science Data Analysis Network, has developed a free online resource: Featured on ASA's "Live Well, Live Long" website, eight training modules focus on statistical trends reflecting the health of the older adult population in the United States. Users will learn how to employ data in such areas as health-related behaviors, functional status and disability, and healthcare utilization and expenditures.

"Professionals in aging will find the modules invaluable in helping them prepare better outcomes reports, grant applications and needs assessments," says Nancy Ceridwyn, director of special projects at ASA. "The ability to work with data strengthens the justification for programs and helps focus services based on changing needs, thus making it possible for professionals in the field to apply statistics supplied by the center to their everyday needs."

Based on figures from the new "Trends in Health and Aging" section of the NCHS Data Warehouse, the modules provide a minicourse on how to use the data on health and aging most requested by visitors to the warehouse. Designed for self-study by professionals and for use by teachers at the secondary, undergraduate and graduate levels, the modules will help users understand how to create customized data tables; demonstrate how surveys highlight an array of health topics; and explain special features of the NCHS software.

The modules are available free of charge by clicking on the new "Statistics on Health and Aging" icon on the "Live Well, Live Long" website. ASA also will be offering a series of Web seminars this month to provide further guidance on using the NCHS Data Warehouse. See the "Professional Education" rubric of this issue of ASA Connection.

Copyright © 2007 American Society on Aging; all rights reserved. This article may not be duplicated or distributed in any form without written permission from the publisher: American Society on Aging, 71 Stevenson St., Suite 1450, San Francisco, CA 94105-2938; e-mail: permissions@asaging.org.