Health Disparities Calculator (HD*Calc)
Latest Release: Version 1.0.6 Beta - November 12, 2009
The Health Disparities Calculator (HD*Calc) is a statistical software designed to generate multiple summary measures to evaluate and monitor health disparities (HD). HD*Calc was created as an extension of SEER*Stat that allows the user to import SEER Data or other population based health data such as National Health Interview Survey, California Health Interview Survey, Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey, and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Several of the measures included in HD*Calc are not commonly used to evaluate cancer-related health disparities. An important function of HD*Calc is to facilitate use of a range of HD measures so that researchers can explore their utility in different situations.
Cross sectional and trend data (e.g. cancer rates, survival, stage at diagnosis) categorized by disparity groups (e.g. area-SES, race / ethnicity, geographic areas) can be used with HD*Calc to generate four absolute and seven relative summary measures of disparity. Associated statistics include: standard errors, confidence intervals, and relative change over time for trends. The output is presented in both tabular and graphic formats; this allows users to specify various conditions and formats. Resulting disparity tables and graphs can be exported from the program. In addition to summary measures, HD*Calc also provides pair wise comparisons that allow the user to explore underlying trends in the data.
This application extends the work published in the National Cancer Institute Surveillance Monograph Series entitled Methods for Measuring Cancer Disparities, which evaluates measures of health disparities included in HD*Calc. The monograph discusses major issues that may affect the choice of summary measures of disparity and systematically reviews methods used in health disparities research. Methods for Measuring Cancer Disparities is recommended for those unfamiliar with the measures available in HD*Calc or interested in a comparative summary of available measures of health disparities (PDF).
A second monograph, Selected Comparisons of Measures of Health Disparities: A Review Using Databases Relevant to Healthy People 2010 Cancer-Related Objectives, uses case studies to analyze the performance and appropriateness of various measures of health disparities.
Download HD*Calc Version 1.0.6 Beta
Please note that this is a beta release. There are no known problems with the software, but we would appreciate any feedback.
Download the installation program for HD*Calc 1.0.6 Beta [hdcalc106-beta.exe].
The readme.txt distributed with the software includes a description of the revisions made for this release.
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For More Information
If you are a new HD*Calc user, see our HD*Calc Tutorials page.
For questions or problems downloading the program, please send an email to hdcalculator@imsweb.com.
