Violence Prevention Data & Surveillance
State Data Sources
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch
The Injury and Violence Prevention Branch (IVPB) Surveillance Unit maintains statewide injury and violence-related surveillance by providing emergency department, hospital discharge, and mortality data to monitor the incidence of and risk factors for fatal and nonfatal injury.
The branch provides this information to North Carolina’s health professionals, citizens, lawmakers and others interested in injury and violence prevention in the state. Injury and violence surveillance data provides the epidemiologic foundation for effective, data-driven injury and violence prevention intervention planning. The unit compiles information from several ongoing and regularly collected data systems.
Data System Reports (all include some violence-related data)
- North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System (NC-VDRS)
- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the world’s largest ongoing telephone health survey system, tracking health conditions and risk behaviors in the United States yearly since 1984. The health departments of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands conduct the survey. CDC offers two optional modules to the BRFSS, an 8-question module on sexual violence and a 7-question module on intimate partner violence. - Child Health Assessment and Monitoring Program (CHAMP)
- Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)
The Injury and Violence Prevention Branch Surveillance Unit compiles and analyzes YRBS data related to injury and violence. The YRBS is conducted by the NC Healthy Schools Initiative and coordinated and supported by the NC Department of Public Instruction. The NC YRBS helps assess behaviors in youth that impact their health now and in the future. Topics related to injury prevention include violence, personal safety, mental health, drugs and alcohol, protective factors and sexual behavior questions (for high school students only). - Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System is a surveillance project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state health departments. PRAMS collects state-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy. The Injury and Violence Prevention Branch Surveillance Unit compiles and analyzes PRAMS data related to injury and violence. - North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool (N.C. DETECT)
NC State Center for Health Statistics
Includes data reports on homicide, suicide, firearms, physical and sexual assaults.
County-Level and Other Local Data Resources
NC State Center for Health Statistics
- Sources of Data for Community Profiles: A Resource Guide for Community Health Assessment in North Carolina
- Basic Automated Birth Yearbook (BABYBOOK)
- BRFSS Survey Results
- Child Deaths in North Carolina
- County Health Data Book
- Detailed Mortality Statistics
- Infant Mortality Statistics
- North Carolina Health Statistics Pocket Guide
- North Carolina Reported Pregnancies
- North Carolina Vital Statistics, Volume I (Population, Births, Deaths, Marriages, Divorces)
- North Carolina Vital Statistics, Volume 2 (Leading Causes of Death)
- North Carolina Statewide and County Trends in Key Health Indicators
NC Division of Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch
- NC-VDRS (North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System)
- N.C. DETECT (North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool) in collaboration with UNC School of Medicine
- BRFSS (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System)
NC Administrative Office of the Courts: Domestic Violence Protective Order Information
NC Attorney General Domestic Violence Statistics
NC Council for Women and Youth Involvement
NC Governor’s Crime Commission: Intimate Partner Violence Services
NC Office of Budget and Management: Log Into North Carolina (LINC) (includes health data!)
NC Sex Offender and Public Protection Registry database
NC Statewide Automated Victim Assistance and Notification
Local Law Enforcement Crime Reports – Must visit each county’s police department website
Intimate Partner Violence: National Data Sources
CDC Data Sources
- National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Justice (NIJ) and the Department of Defense (DoD), developed a telephone survey, the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS). In 2010, NISVS began collecting ongoing population-based surveillance data, generating accurate and reliable incidence and prevalence estimates for intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking victimization. - National Violent Death Reporting System
CDC funds 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico and established the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) to gather, share, and link state-level data on violent deaths. NVDRS provides CDC and states with a more complete understanding of violent deaths. This enables policy makers and community leaders to make informed decisions about violence prevention programs, including those that address intimate partner violence. - The National Survey of Family Growth
The National Survey of Family Growth gathers information on family life, marriage and divorce, pregnancy, infertility, use of contraception, and men’s and women’s health. The survey results are used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and others to plan health services and health education programs, and to do statistical studies of families, fertility, and health. - Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
- Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
- National Violence Against Women Survey (Note: older data)
To further the understanding of violence against women, the National Institute of Justice and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, jointly sponsored the National Violence Against Women Survey. Interviews were obtained from 8,000 women and 8,005 men who were 18 years of age or older residing in households throughout the United States in 1996.
Other Federal Data Sources
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
Since the 1930s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been collecting data on crime in the United States. Each year, the FBI publishes a summary of Crime in the United States, Hate Crime Statistics, special studies, reports, and monographs. - National Crime Victimization Survey
National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is the primary source of information on criminal victimization in the United States. Each year, data are obtained from a nationally representative sample of 77,200 households comprising nearly 134,000 persons on the frequency, characteristics, and consequences of criminal victimization in the United States. The survey enables the Bureau of Justice Statistics to estimate the likelihood of victimization by rape, sexual assault, robbery, assault, theft, household burglary, and motor vehicle theft.
Non-Federal Data Sources
- National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) is a nationally representative study that explores the causes of health-related behaviors of adolescents in grades 7 through 12 and their outcomes in young adulthood. Add Health seeks to examine how social contexts (families, friends, peers, schools, neighborhoods, and communities) influence adolescents’ health and risk behaviors. - National Survey of Families and Households
The National Survey of Families and Households was designed to provide a broad range of information on family life for research across disciplinary perspectives. A considerable amount of life-history information was collected, including: the respondent’s family living arrangements in childhood, departures and returns to the parental home, and histories of marriage, cohabitation, education, fertility, and employment.
Sexual Violence: National Data Sources
CDC Data Sources
- National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS)
- Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
- National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
- Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
- Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS)
WISQARS is an interactive, online database that provides fatal and nonfatal injury, violent death, and cost of injury data. - National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP)
NEISS-AIP provides nationally representative data about all types and causes of nonfatal injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments. CDC uses NEISS-AIP data to generate national estimates of nonfatal injuries, including those related to sexual violence. - National Violence Against Women Survey
Other Federal Data Sources
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
Since the 1930s, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been collecting data on crime in the United States. Each year, the FBI publishes a summary of Crime in the United States, Hate Crime Statistics, special studies, reports, and monographs. - National Crime Victimization Survey
Suicide: National Data Sources
CDC Data Sources
- National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP)
NEISS-AIP provides nationally representative data about all types and causes of nonfatal injuries treated in United States hospital emergency departments. CDC uses NEISS-AIP data to generate national estimates of nonfatal injuries, including those related to self-harm. - National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS)
NAMCS collects data on the utilization and provision of ambulatory care services in hospital emergency and outpatient departments. - National Inpatient Sample (NIS)External
The NIS is a database of hospital inpatient stays used to identify, track, and analyze national trends in health care utilization, access, charges, quality, and outcomes including injuries from suicide attempts. - National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
- The National Vital Statistics System
The National Vital Statistics System is the oldest and most successful example of inter-governmental data sharing. This system includes nationwide data on deaths due to all causes, including suicide. - Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS)
- Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
Other Federal Data Sources
- National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
NSDUH provides up-to-date information on substance use, mental health conditions, and suicide-related behaviors in the United States.Non-Federal Data Sources - Pan American Health Association, Regional Core Health Data Initiative
In 1995, the Regional Core Health Data and Country Profile Initiative was launched by the Pan American Health Organization to monitor the attainment of health goals of the Member States. The initiative includes a database with 117 health-related indicators, country health profiles, and reference documents. - The American Association of Suicidology
The goal of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is to understand and prevent suicide. The Research Division of AAS is dedicated to advancing knowledge about suicidal behavior through science. A description of research projects is available on the AAS Web site. - WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS)
WHOSIS, the WHO Statistical Information System, is an interactive database bringing together core health statistics for the 193 WHO Member States. It comprises more than 70 indicators, which can be accessed by way of a quick search, by major categories, or through user-defined tables. The data can be further filtered, tabulated, charted and downloaded. The data are also published annually in the World Health Statistics Report released in May.
Non-Federal Data Sources
- Global Health Observatory (GHO) Data
GHO is the World Health Organization’s gateway to health-related statistics for more than 1,000 indicators for its 194 Member States.
Child Maltreatment: National Data Sources
CDC Data Sources
- Child Health Statistics
CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics provides information on the health status of children in the United States. - National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
- Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS)
Other Federal Data Sources
- Administration for Children and Families
The Administration for Children and Families provides state and national data on child abuse and neglect. Their findings are summarized each year in an annual report. - National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
NCES is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education. - National Survey of Children’s Health
The survey, funded by the Health Resources Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau, provides national and state level estimates of key measures of child health and well-being.
Non-Federal Data Sources
- Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Center
This organization provides data and statistics on the educational, social, economic, and physical well-being of children. - Child Trends Data Bank
Child Trends is a non-profit research organization focused on improving the lives and prospects of children, youth, and their families. - The National Maternal Child Health Center for Child Death Review
This organization provides data on child deaths and has links to other related data sources on their website. - National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN)
NDACAN gets microdata from leading researchers and national data collection efforts and makes these datasets available to the research community for secondary analysis.
Youth Violence: National Data Sources
Quick Facts
- Preventing Youth Violence
This fact sheet provides up-to-date data and youth violence prevention strategies.
CDC Data Sources
- School-Associated Violent Deaths Study (SAVD)
SAVD monitors trends at the national level in school-associated violent deaths, common features of these events, and potential risk factors for perpetration and victimization. - National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-All Injury Program (NEISS-AIP)
- National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
- School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS)
SHPPS is a national survey conducted periodically to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. - Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS)
- Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
Other Federal Data Sources
- Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Department of Justice
The BJS provides data on crime, victims, criminals, courts, police, jails and prisons in the United States. - Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
The FBI collects data on crime in the United States. Each year, the FBI publishes a summary of crime in the United States, hate crime statistics, special studies, reports, and monographs. - Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
The OJJDP’s Statistical Briefing Book provides data on juvenile offending, victimization of juveniles, and involvement of youth in the juvenile justice system.