Populations and Vulnerabilities
ShareCompartir
Certain factors, like your sex, age, or income can influence your health, your risk for certain diseases, and your risk for being seriously affected by public health emergencies. The same is true for populations.
Understanding population characteristics is essential for public health practices such as program planning, epidemiologic studies, and public health emergency preparedness. Knowing a population’s characteristics, including their vulnerabilities and resources, can help public health professionals determine possible effects of health problems or environmental conditions on disease trends and patterns over time and across locations. These data can show which areas or population groups are likely to be
- at-risk for acute and chronic illnesses.
- exposed to different chemicals in the environment.
- race and ethnicity, and
- affected by a public health emergency.
CDC's guide "Planning for an Emergency: Strategies for Identifying and Engaging At-Risk Groups" describes six categories to consider when identifying at-risk groups that could be disproportionately affected by disasters.
- Socioeconomic status
- Age
- Gender
- Race and ethnicity
- English language proficiency
- Medical issues and disability
The Tracking Network includes data for each of these categories.
Categories of population characteristics and vulnerabilities include demographics, health status, and socioeconomic factors.
Demographics
- Age
- English Language proficiency
- Household type
- Population density
- Race and ethnicity
- Sex
Health Status
- Chronic health conditions
- Disabilities
- Health insurance status
Socioeconomic Factors
- Education level
- Employment status
- Household income
- Poverty status
Demographics
Demographics are important factors to consider when describing the effects of disease or illness on a community and society. Many studies have shown that these factors can indicate how many people have, and how many people will get, a specific disease.
Top of PageHealth Status
Populations with an impaired health status or who are uninsured may be more vulnerable in emergency or disaster situations. This population may require extra resources to prepare, evacuate, and recover from emergency situations.
Top of PageSocioeconomics
Socioeconomic factors are conditions that that may affect a person's or population's way of life and their health. These factors include education, occupation, and income.
Research has shown that people with limited means may be unhealthier at birth and throughout their lives. Studies also show that levels of education and income, and occupation are related to risks for certain chronic health conditions. These relationships must be considered when deciding if the environment and health outcomes are connected.
Tracking Populations and Vulnerabilities
Learn how these data are collected and how they are being used on the Tracking Network.
Search Data
Access data through maps, tables, and charts.
Resources
Explore other resources for more information.
Indicators
Read about the indicators available for Populations and Vulnerabilities.
- Page last reviewed:April 17, 2012
- Page last updated:January 13, 2017
- Content source: