This is Lesson 5 of the Using Data to Understand and Improve Health Outcomes Unit.

High school students, as scientists, use science ideas about patterns and cause and effect to answer the following driving question: How does access to resources at the neighborhood level impact health outcomes? Students begin by analyzing zip code-level respiratory disease case data. Next, students analyze census data at the zip code level and attempt to identify patterns and cause and effect relationships. After identifying limitations of the data and recognizing that certain factors do not have equal effects in all cases, they read an article about the factors public health research has identified as contributors to health disparities. Finally, students use the data analyzed and information evaluated in the unit to develop a class consensus model and an individual explanation of the factors contributing to disparities in respiratory diseases at the country, state, county, and zip code levels

Click the Download PDF button above for the complete Lesson Plan.

Note: Based on feedback, we have revised and incorporated parts of the former Lesson 6 into this lesson. Lesson 5 now moves into Lesson 7. At this time, we have not changed the numbering on the PDF of Lesson 7.

Student Materials

Per Student

• HDW Unit L5: Analyzing Community Data
• HDW Unit L5: Census Bureau Data for Communities in different US Cities (handout)
• HDW Unit L5: Census Bureau Data for Communities in different US Cities (slides)
• HDW Unit L5: Why Collect Demographic Data

Per Group

• 2 pieces of chart paper
• Computer or tablet if accessing the electronic version of materials

Teacher Materials

• HDW Unit L5 Slides