An epidemiologic profile is a summary of a significant public health issue, or issues, in your community, county, state, or country. An epidemiological profile helps to coordinate activities and policies from various agencies and organizations to improve health.

Review the available data, reports, and documents for your locale. Assess how the methods of epidemiology (study designs, data collection, measures of association, etc.) are used to determine who needs what services, where the services are needed, and how those services should be delivered. Define your community as your city, metropolitan area, or county and write an epidemiological profile. The profile can be a general profile that provides a landscape picture of several significant chronic and infectious diseases in your defined community, or it can be a specific profile that targets one health issue, such as diabetes, asthma, STDs, flu, heart disease, obesity, alcohol abuse, or other drug use. Include the following:

Executive Summary

Describe the purpose of the epidemiologic profile and the health issue(s) it addresses. Discuss its importance to the community and how it will be utilized.
Summarize the key findings from your review of available data, reports, and documents for the community.
Introduction

Describe the defined community and population using demographic and socio-economic information and data.
Briefly describe the history and cultural background of the community.
Explain any unique contextual information that pertains to the public health of the defined community.
Describe any key public health projects, grants, or existing epidemiology-related working groups or committees in the community/county.
Description of Available Data

Identify at least two different data sources relevant to your profile. Discuss data from these sources and their relation to the issue or community.

Discuss the methods used in the data collection process (data source and organization providing the data; how often the data are collected; data limitations including response rates, missing data, selection of participants, etc.). Potential data sources and databases might include the following depending on what is available for your community or county:

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data

Youth risk behavioral survey

Surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) program data

CDC Wonder (multiple data sources)

County health rankings data (multiple data sources)

Alcohol-related disease impact data

Demographic health survey data (international)

Global school-based student health survey (international)

Local evaluation reports from the department/ministry of health or other nonprofit organizations

Interpretation of Results Regarding Key Health Issue

Size and magnitude of the measures

Trends and comparisons

Economic costs

Discussion of Problems and Strategies

Discuss disparities, limitations, and gaps in the information available regarding the health issue(s).

Describe potential public health strategies to address these gaps.

Use graphs and tables where appropriate.

Conclusion