Library

Reports: Adult health

Older Americans: Key Indicators of Well-Being
Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics, December 2024, 122 pp.
Biennial report that provides a comprehensive picture of older adults' health and well-being in the United States. It uses data from over a dozen national data sources to construct five broad indicators of well-being for older adults (population, economics, health status, health risks and behaviors and health care) and to monitor changes in these indicators over time. more info >

State of Black America
National Urban League, June 2024
Annual report from the National Urban League. The most recent report focuses on the impact of the 1964 Civil Rights, and includes measures related income, education, health, civic engagement, housing, transportation, and public safety for Hispanic, Black, and White populations. Includes metropolitan area rankings of unemployment and income equality. more info >

Profile of Older Americans
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, November 2023, 20 pp.
National data profile of older adults, including living arrangements, racial and ethnic composition, geographic distribution, income, poverty, housing, employment, education, health and health care, disability, and caregiving. New reports are issued annually. more info >

Innovation and Opportunity, 2023: A State Scorecard on Long-term Services and Supports for Older Adults, People with Physical Disabilities, and Family Caregivers
AARP, September 2023, 184 pp.
Measures state-level performance of long-term services and supports from the viewpoint of user services and their families. more info >

Vital Voices: Issues That Impact North Dakota Adults Age 45 and Older
AARP North Dakota, July 2023, 26 pp.
Vital Voices delivers state-specific data on the needs and opinions of older adults regarding health, caregiving, economic security, and other issues in order to inform policy and program development. more info >

Valuing the Invaluable 2023 Update: Strengthening Supports for Family Caregivers
AARP Public Policy Institute, March 2023, 32 pp.
This report updates national and individual state estimates of the economic value of family care using the most currently available data. The estimated economic value of family caregivers’ unpaid contributions toward the care of adults with limitations in daily activities was approximately $600 billion in 2021. more info >

Hunger on the Plains 2023
Great Plains Food Bank, March 2023, 146 pp.
This study synthesizes insights from a neighbor experience survey and a survey of food pantry and meal site partners to shed light on the experience of hunger in the Great Plains area. more info >

Life Expectancy Is Increasingly Tied to a State's Policy Leanings
Population Reference Bureau, January 2023
This report examines state-level policies and laws that affect residents' life expectancy, including those related to factors such as minimum wages, tobacco taxes, gun safety, and the environment, more info >

Household Food Security in the United States in 2021
United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, September 2022, 51 pp.
This report presents statistics from a survey that monitors the extent and severity of food insecurity in U.S. households, examining rates of household food security, food expenditures, and use of Federal nutrition assistance programs in 2021. more info >

Older Adults’ Preparedness to Age in Place: National Poll on Healthy Aging
Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, April 2022, 4 pp.
Results from a national survey asking adults age 50–80 about their perspectives on aging in place, their homes, and available social supports. more info >

Home Alone Revisited: Family Caregivers Providing Complex Care
AARP Public Policy Institute, April 2019, 63 pp.
The role of family caregivers has dramatically expanded to include performing medical/nursing tasks of the kind and complexity once provided only in hospitals. The key findings outlined in this report focus on the medical/nursing tasks that family caregivers performed and the general lack of training and support they received. more info >

Caregiving in Context: A Study of Family, Friend, and Community Caregivers' Networks of Support
Wilder Research, February 2019, 2 pp.
Summary of a survey that gathered information about caregivers’ connections with both formal and informal supports, the sources and means of getting information related to their needs, as well as the events and circumstances that shaped their caregiving experience. more info >

Food Insecurity, Chronic Disease, and Health Among Working-Age Adults
United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, July 2017, 31 pp.
This report documents the strong correlation between food security status and chronic health conditions among working age adults living at or below 200 percent of the Federal poverty line. more info >

Meeting the Dietary Needs of Older Adults: Exploring the Impact of the Physical, Social, and Cultural Environment: Workshop Summary
The National Academies Press, July 2016, 155 pp.
Summarizes information gathered at a workshop on Meeting the Dietary Needs of Older Adults. Discusses how access to healthy food is impacted by geographic, financial, and transportation barriers. more info >

Mortality Trends Among Working-Age Whites: The Untold Story
The Commonwealth Fund, January 2016, 12 pp.
Recent research has shown an unexpected rise in death rates among middle-aged, white Americans between 1999 and 2014. While increased substance abuse and suicides explain the elevated mortality rates for younger adults, middle-aged whites also seem to be experiencing stalled or rising mortality rates for most ailments and diseases. While a national phenomenon, middle-aged whites face much more adverse mortality trends in certain states and regions. more info >

Brain Injury in the Homeless Community - Where Do We Go from Here
Wilder Research, January 2016, 10 pp.
Summary of a dialogue intended to create ideas for more effective and sustainable approaches to the identification and support of people who are homeless and have brain injuries. more info >

Capacity to Care - Caregiver Services
Wilder Research, January 2016, 38 pp.
The Amherst H. Wilder Foundation identified caregiving as a strategic priority and developed services to support caregivers and strengthen resources. The replication guide describes Wilder's activities to implement this initiative, the outputs achieved, resources necessary for launching each component, and lessons learned. more info >

Time to Act: Investing in the Health of Our Children and Communities
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, January 2014, 120 pp.
Explores ways to improve the health of Americans by focusing on experiences in early childhood, opportunities that communities provide for people to make health choices, and the mission and incentives of health professionals and health care institutions. more info >

Web sites

AARP Livability Index
The AARP Livability Index scores neighborhoods and communities across the U.S. on indicators related to housing, environment, transportation, safety, health services, and more. more info >

County Health Rankings and Roadmaps
Ranking the health of nearly every county in the nation, this website focuses on specific factors that affect health, such as education and income. The County Health Rankings address what is making people sick or healthy, while the roadmaps show what can be done to create healthier places to live. more info >

Tobacco Control State Highlights
The State Highlights section in the “State of Tobacco Control” report provides state-level summaries of what has occurred and what needs to occur in to prevent and reduce tobacco. Each summary include goals for lawmakers in and often highlights progress or challenges on tobacco control at the state and local level that may not be reflected in the grades. more info >