The Health Drivers Calculator (HD*Calc) uses SEER Data or other population based health data (e.g., National Health Interview Survey, California Health Interview SurveyExternal Web Site Policy, Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey, and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) to calculate two types of health driver measures and two pair comparison measures:

  1. Absolute Difference
  2. Relative Difference
  3. Pair Comparison Measures

Associated statistics include: standard errors, confidence intervals, and relative change over time for trends. The output is presented in both tabular and graphic formats; this allows users to specify various conditions and formats. Resulting tables and graphs can be exported from the program.

Statistical properties also affect the choice of measures of health drivers. Different data sources, i.e. registry data or survey data, present distinct challenges in the statistical inferences of these measures. Detailed evaluations of inference methods for measures included in HD*Cal and their usage considerations have been published in statistical journals.