SPSS

School of Health Sciences & Practice, New York Medical CollegeDr. Liberatos
Spring 2022
Health Program Planning & Evaluation
Guide to Good Design for Data Tables and Figures
A.
Best Practices
1.
2.
B.
Basics:
a) Use the most recent data available;
b) If you have to use data from multiple years, be sure that it is clearly
labeled in your table as to which variable comes from which year’s
data;
c) Be sure to always include the total population, at least a general age
distribution (minimum: children & youth/young adults/middle-age
adults/seniors – you must specify the age ranges for each of these
categories) and major racial/ethnic categories (i.e., White, AfricanAmerican, Latino).
Before you begin:
a) Review the variables that are available;
b) Think about your health problem from a public health perspective and
then consider which of these variables might be helpful to know about;
c) For each variable, consider which grouping of categories would be most
relevant and which end of the spectrum should be highlighted for your
purposes (e.g., low educational levels or high educational levels).
Required Elements for a Table
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Each table must begin at the top of a new page;
Clear title that describes contents of Table including year of data (may
include data source as well) and geographic areas included. If contents are
too numerous for the title (i.e., would make title too long and cumbersome),
then use a general descriptor such as “demographic characteristics”;
Data source must be either in title or as a footnote;
Population or sample N must be included;
Footnote anything that is not self-explanatory (e.g., race/ethnicity if does not
add to 100%);
Guide to good design.2-8-22
1
School of Health Sciences & Practice, New York Medical College
Dr. Liberatos
Spring 2022
6.
Clear, easy to read layout (e.g., indenting categories under a variable name
makes it easier to read). For example:
Age (yrs)