The Maine Tracking Network now includes additional years of hospitalization and emergency department visit data for asthma and heat illness, as well as two additional years of data describing the percentage of homes with air conditioning in Maine.
The update means that users can now explore data spanning the years 2001 through 2011 to find out if hospitalization and emergency department rates of these health outcomes have changed over time, or if rates vary by location or age groups.
For both heat illness and asthma, the Maine Tracking Network has indicators derived from a statewide health and behavior survey. This allows users to explore the percentage of homes with air conditioning compared with heat-related emergency department visits, for example, as spending time in air conditioning is often the best prevention against heat illness. With asthma, users can explore the self-reported prevalence of asthma among Maine adults in comparison to asthma hospitalizations and emergency department visits rates for the same age groups.
Learn More