County-level prevalence estimates for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across seven U.S. states for the year 2018. The data was produced using linked statewide health and education records and published by researchers in the Annals of Epidemiology in 2023. It was last updated on the data.cdc.gov platform in January 2023.
Use Cases
- Analyze geographic disparities in autism by mapping `prevalence_asd` and `map_category` across `county_name` and `fips_county`.
- Model the relationship between population size (`pop`) and the number of identified cases (`cases_asd`) to study detection rates.
- Assess estimate reliability by incorporating the confidence intervals provided in the `prevalence_asd_ci` column.
- Perform state-level comparative studies by aggregating county-level `prevalence_asd` data for the seven included states.
Strengths
- Data is derived from linked statewide health and education records, providing a detailed administrative view.
- Includes confidence intervals (`prevalence_asd_ci`) for prevalence estimates, allowing for uncertainty analysis.
- Geographic specificity down to the county level using FIPS codes (`fips_county`).
Limitations
- Limited to seven U.S. states, not nationally representative.
- Single-year snapshot (2018), limiting longitudinal analysis.
- Sample size and potential class imbalance at the county level are unknown.
Provenance
- Source
- data.cdc.gov, citing peer-reviewed research by Shaw KA et al. in Annals of Epidemiology.
- Collection Method
- Generated using linked statewide health and education administrative data, with methodology detailed in the referenced publication.
- Time Range
- 2018
- Freshness
- Data reflects 2018 estimates, last updated on the platform in January 2023.
- Geography
- County-level data for seven U.S. states (specific states not listed in input).