Data can help communities understand what is happening, identify inequities, recognize strengths, and make informed decisions. Across Flint and Genesee County, information collected through public agencies, community organizations, researchers, healthcare systems, surveys, and other sources can provide insight into the conditions that shape health and quality of life. However, making data available is only part of the process. Information also needs to be understandable, transparent, relevant, and accessible to the people and communities it represents.
Data, Resources, and Community Knowledge
Data can help answer questions such as: Where are disparities occurring? Who is most affected? How are conditions changing over time? Where are resources located? What areas may need additional attention? Community knowledge adds important context to those numbers. Residents’ experiences can help explain what data mean in everyday life, identify issues that may not appear in existing datasets, and raise new questions for researchers and decision-makers to explore. Bringing together data and lived experience can create a fuller picture of community health.
- Building Data Literacy: Data literacy is the ability to find, understand, question, interpret, and use data.Building data literacy can help residents and organizations ask informed questions, identify misleading or incomplete information, understand differences between data sources, and use evidence to support planning and advocacy.
Data literacy also includes understanding the limitations of data. Numbers may not capture every experience, and differences in how information is collected can affect what conclusions can reasonably be drawn.
- Turning Information Into Action: When data are presented clearly and combined with community knowledge, they can become a tool for learning, decision-making, and change. Accessible data can support:
- community organizations identifying needs;
- residents learning more about their neighborhoods;
- researchers developing relevant questions;
- public agencies planning programs and services;
- policymakers identifying disparities; and
- communities tracking progress over time.
Explore our Research in Action page to see how research, data, and community partnerships are being used to address public health priorities across Flint and Genesee County. The page features research projects, reports, infographics, data visualizations, and other resources that demonstrate how evidence can inform decisions and support meaningful community change.
Continue Exploring Health Equity in Flint
Health is influenced by many interconnected factors. Explore other areas within the interactive Flint community page to learn more about housing, transportation, food access, environmental conditions, community resources, and other conditions that shape health. Visit the Community page here.
