Lincoln, NE — The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) recently released the Nebraska Vital Statistics Top Causes of Death Dashboard. Vital statistics data are fundamental to public health assessment and planning processes correlating with the overall health of the population. This dashboard includes de-identified aggregate death data between the years 2005-2023 for Nebraska resident deaths. Deaths that occurred within Nebraska to non-Nebraska residents are not included in the data.
“This data tells us a lot about the overall population health and wellness in Nebraska. Knowing the top causes of death supports the development of effective public health prevention efforts to increase public awareness, watch for and address new trends, support medical research, and work to improve health outcomes for our high-risk populations,” said Charity Menefee, Director of the Division of Public Health. “This dashboard is a key resource for the people of Nebraska, our medical community, researchers, and health departments to help foster healthier Nebraskans and families and stronger, more informed communities.”
The dashboard allows results to be filtered by geographic (state, local health department, behavioral health region, and urban/rural) and demographic (age, gender, and race/ethnicity) characteristics. Users can combine multiple years of data, examine trends over time, and explore data in charts, tables, and maps.
To protect the privacy and security of the data presented within the dashboard, the number of cases or records are suppressed using the following rules: (1) when the count is 1-5, or (2) if only one category is suppressed the next lowest category is also suppressed in instances where the count could be identified through subtraction.
DHHS makes best efforts to ensure the accuracy of all data collected, stored, analyzed, and reported from its databases. The accuracy and completeness of these records depend on the reporting parties. Final data files are generated annually for statistical reporting and used to populate this dashboard. By using this dashboard, users acknowledge the above limitations, and that the data are subject to continuous updating.
Check out the top causes of death in Nebraska and more by visiting the dashboard at https://dhhs.ne.gov/TopDeathCauses.
For additional information about Nebraska Vital Records, visit https://dhhs.ne.gov/VitalRecords or call 402-471-2871.
