Community Health Data Base - Penn Libraries data resources: CHDB Southeastern PA HHS Microdata

The CHDB Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey has been conducted since the 1970s. The SEPA HHS covers the five-county Philadelphia metropolitan area: Philadelphia County, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, and Montgomery County. The SEPA HHS stands out among local health surveys nationwide both for its longevity and for its very large sample size, currently approximately 10,000 respondents.

Community Health Data Base 2018 Multi-Year Data Guide provides a quick overview of questions asked in CHDB Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Surveys, 1996-2018. The PHMC has prepared a handout, 2014-2015 SEPA HHS Topic Areas (via Internet Archive, 7/11/2017).

The CHDB Household Health Survey microdata datasets are the individual questionnaire responses from each survey cycle. Microdata for the SEPA HHS are provided here for the biennial surveys, 1994-2014/2015. The datasets are provided by their producer, Public Health Management Corporation, in SPSS SAV format. Using these microdata sets will require statistical processing software such as SPSS, as individual responses are provided with statistical weighting to generate population-wide estimates.

The SEPA HHS microdata include several geographic variables: County, ZIP Code and ZIP Code-based "Planning Region", Census tract, Municipality (outside Philadelphia) and Census Designated Place; within Philadelphia, Neighborhood, Planning Analysis Section, and Health District.

February 2020 Update. The final release 2018 SEPA HHS microdata are now available here, 18 February 2019. The 2018 survey was conducted during August 2018-January 2019, sampling 7,501 households.

The Penn Libraries have acquired the CHDB Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey microdata for research and instructional use by University of Pennsylvania faculty, students, and researchers. Microdata from earlier years provided here were acquired in cooperation with the Leonard Davis Institute and affiliated campus centers.

By using your PennKey to access the CHDB SEPA HHS microdata and codebook files below, you are agreeing to the Terms of Access at the bottom of this web page. Violating these terms will jeopardize continuing access to CHDB SEPA HHS data for the entire Penn community.

Terms of Access for University of Pennsylvania

1. Use of Data.
   1. The Data is being provided to Member under this Agreement solely for Member's own use for its own business, and Member may use the Data in any lawful manner for any purpose for its own business, except to the extent that its business involves providing data to others for compensation or other consideration. Member may not use, and may not knowingly permit others to use, the Data in any other manner or for any other purpose, including without limitation providing all or any portion of the Data to third parties for private or commercial use or exploitation.
   2. In all cases in which Member uses any portion of the Data in reports, releases, advertising, or other tangible representations (including computer images), Member shall include in a reasonably conspicuous manner the statement "Data provided by The Public Health Management Corporation's Community Health Data Base", or, when citing the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey specifically, use "Public Health Management Corporation's Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, [Year]." Member shall also include PHMC's copyright notice in all of its documents or other material which include portions of the Data covered by a PHMC copyright notice.
   3. Member shall not, in any publication or other communication using or referring to the Data, make or imply any representation that PHMC endorses or supports any position or views of Member, and when reasonably necessary to avoid an implication or inference to the contrary. Member shall include an appropriate notice and disclaimer in its publication or communication. Provided that Member has paid the entire price for the Data provided for in paragraph 2, Member may continue to use the Data in the manner provided in paragraph 3 after the expiration or termination of this Agreement.
   4. In accordance with HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, PHMC's Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey is categorized as a "Limited Data Set." Member agrees that it will only use or disclose Data Base information for purposes limited to research and will provide the following assurances. Member will:
      1. Not use or further disclosure the information other than as permitted by this Agreement or as otherwise required by law;
      2. Use appropriate safeguards to prevent use or disclosure of the information other than as provided for by this agreement;
      3. Report to PHMC Privacy Officer any use or disclosure of the information not provided for by this Agreement of which it becomes aware;
      4. Ensure that any agents, including a subcontractor, to whom it provides the limited data set agrees to the same restrictions and conditions that apply to Member with respect to such information; and
      5. Not identify the information or contact the individuals whose information is provided hereunder.
   5. Member is responsible for internal enforcement of contract stipulations regarding use and access to PHMC's proprietary data. Member will post a notice at the introduction of the files that acknowledges the parameters of use of the data. The data may be used to advance the interests of the University of Pennsylvania and its research goals, including, but not limited to, the publication of data with attribution in scholarly publications, the monitored use of data by students as part of coursework activities, and the use of data to support grant development and evaluation. PHMC's data may not, however, be used by Member staff or students to further the business interests of third parties (i.e., as the basis for providing consulting services to other individuals or entities).
2. Confidentiality.
   The identity of any individual in the Household Survey files or in any other data files in the Data Base is confidential and will not be disclosed to Member under or in connection with this Agreement. Member shall not in any manner endeavor to obtain any such information and shall treat as confidential and not disclose to any person or entity other than PHMC, under any circumstances, any such information inadvertently obtained. Data are provided to the Member at the census tract level and are not available at any smaller level of geography. In addition, the Survey instrument, code books, Survey documentation and other data or information, material and methodologies relating to the Data Base which are not available to the public are confidential proprietary information and trade secrets of PHMC made available, if at all, to Member in confidence, and Member shall not disclose any such items to any third parties without PHMC's prior written consent.