Definitions - Washington Tracking Network (WTN) | Washington State Department of Health

Definitions of common words found within WTN.

Name	Acronym	Definition
Name Accountable Community of Health	Acronym ACH	Definition An Accountable Community of Health is a regional coalition of stakeholders, collaborating to address health issues through community and healthcare transformation. ACHs promote health equity and address and coordinate around social determinants of health. They also respond to regional needs and issues.
Name Acute Effect	Acronym	Definition An acute effect is an adverse effect on any living organism when severe symptoms develop rapidly. Symptoms often disappear or diminish after exposure stops. The term ‘acute' may also refer to exposure and toxicity.
Name Acute Myocardial Infarction	Acronym AMI	Definition Heart attack. Generally equivalent to MI.
Name Age-Adjusted Rates	Acronym	Definition People of different ages are more or less susceptible to different diseases. People of different ages are also more or less likely to engage in healthy or unhealthy behaviors. Adjusting rates for differences in age distributions helps us to understand whether there are differences among groups, independent of their age structures. Age-adjustment also allows us to compare rates in the same population over a period of time during which the population structure might have changed. For more information, see Guidelines for Using and Developing Rates for Public Health Assessment.
Name Air Quality Index	Acronym AQI	Definition The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designed the Air Quality Index (AQI) for reporting daily air quality with regard to five major air pollutants: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. The AQI reports how clean or polluted the air is and whether air quality at a given time poses a risk to health.
Name Air Quality System	Acronym AQS	Definition AQS is a database which contains ambient air pollution data collected by EPA and by state, local, and tribal air pollution control agencies. For more information, visit the Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality System website.
Name Ambient Air	Acronym	Definition Ambient air is any unconfined portion of the atmosphere: outdoor air.
Name Aquifers	Acronym	Definition Aquifers are underground geological formations, or groups of formations, that can store or transmit water. Aquifers are sources of groundwater for wells and springs. Common use of the term normally refers to water-bearing formations capable of yielding enough water to provide a usable supply.
Name Average Annual Count	Acronym	Definition The average (calculated as the mean), over a multi-year period, of the counts seen each year during that period. Average annual count is expressed with one digit following the decimal point in order to indicate that the numbers are not actual counts for any specific year.
Name Average Annual Rate	Acronym	Definition The average (calculated as the mean), over a multi-year period, of the rates or proportions seen each year during that period.
Name Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System	Acronym BRFSS	Definition The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the largest, continuously conducted, telephone health survey in the world. It enables the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), state health departments, and other health agencies to monitor modifiable risk factors for chronic diseases and other leading causes of death. For more information, visit the Washington State BRFSS website and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention BRFSS website.
Name Benchmark	Acronym	Definition A numerical value which represents a point of reference for a measurement. A benchmark is not a goal or a target level (see Standard). A benchmark might be a rate of a disease in a population, such as the state as a whole, for a specific year.
Name Capability (for Emergency Preparedness and Response)	Acronym	Definition Ability to perform a national standard set by a federal funding agency, such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).
Name Carbon Monoxide	Acronym CO	Definition Chemical formula: one carbon atom and one oxygen atom. Carbon monoxide can be poisonous. CO is one of the six “criteria” pollutants regulated via the National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Name Carcinogens (or environmental carcinogens)	Acronym	Definition Substances, including radionuclides or radiation, that are directly involved in the initiation or promotion of cancer.
Name Census Tract	Acronym	Definition Census tracts are small and relatively stable geographic areas with a population of between 2,500 and 8,000 people.
Name Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	Acronym CDC	Definition Federal public health agency, part of Department of Health & Human Services. For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Name Center for Health Statistics - Washington State Department of Health	Acronym CHS	Definition The Center for Health Statistics (CHS) collects and publishes health data that covers deaths, births, pregnancy rates, abortion rates, and behavioral risk factors.
Name Chemical Action Plan	Acronym CAP	Definition A comprehensive plan, drawn up by Washington State Department of Ecology, to identify, characterize and evaluate all possible uses and releases of a toxic chemical. It recommends actions to protect human health and the environment.
Name Child Blood Lead Registry	Acronym	Definition Department of Health program in Office of Environmental Health Assessments. For more information, visit the Child Blood Lead Poison Prevention Program.
Name Chronic Effect	Acronym	Definition A chronic effect is an adverse effect on an organism in which symptoms recur frequently or develop slowly over a long period of time. The term ‘chronic' can also apply to exposure and toxicity.
Name Clean Air Act	Acronym CAA	Definition In the US, federal laws such as Air Pollution Control Act of 1955, the Clean Air Act of 1963, and the Air Quality Act of 1967, amended in 1970, 1977 and 1990.
Name Collaborative on Health and the Environment—Washington	Acronym CHE-WA	Definition For more information, visit the Collaborative Health and the Environment-Washington website.
Name Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation	Acronym CAFO	Definition CAFOs are agricultural facilities that house and feed a large number of animals in a confined area for 45 days or more during any 12-month period. Pollutants possibly associated with manure-related discharges at CAFOs may affect human health. For more information, see Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation website.
Name Concentration	Acronym	Definition The concentration is the relative amount of a substance mixed with another substance. Examples are “five ppm of carbon monoxide in air” or “1 mg/L of iron in water”.
Name Confidence Interval	Acronym CI	Definition Confidence intervals are used to account for the difference between a sample from a population and the population itself. They can also be used to account for uncertainty that arises from natural variation. Confidence intervals provide a means of assessing and reporting the precision of a point estimate, such as a hospitalization rate.
Name Community	Acronym	Definition In the IBL mapping tool we map communities using census tracts. We use the term community because community is much more relatable to users than presenting information at the census tract level.
Name Community Environmental Health Assessment	Acronym CEHA	Definition Community (or “community-based”) environmental health assessment (CEHA) is the evaluation of a community's health by looking at environmental hazards, exposures and diseases. These assessments include input from the community and provide a solid basis from which communities may resolve environmental problems that affect health.
Name Community Health Assessment Tool	Acronym CHAT	Definition Authorized public health practitioners in Washington use the Community Health Assessment Tool (CHAT) from the Department of Health to obtain access to restricted data sets. Public health professionals who are registered CHAT users may enter the "Restricted Access" gateway on the WTN Portal home page to access data sets in CHAT.
Name Community Water System	Acronym CWS	Definition Community water systems (CWS) are public water systems that serve year-round community residents (at least 25 people or at least 15 service connections). See also Group A Water System and Group B Water System.
Name Comprehensive Hospital Abstract Reporting System	Acronym CHARS	Definition Washington state hospital discharge dataset. For more information, visit the Comprehensive Hospital Abstract Reporting System dataset information site.
Name Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists	Acronym CSTE	Definition CSTE is a professional association of Public Health professionals. For more information, visit the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists website.
Name Demographics Popup	Acronym	Definition When users select a community in the IBL mapping tool, a population trent line, sex bar graph, and race pie graph will display in the bottom right corner of the map. This provides additional information about a community.
Name Disinfectants	Acronym	Definition Disinfectants are compounds containing chlorine or similar ingredients that are added to drinking water to kill or inactivate harmful organisms that cause various diseases. Chlorine is a very active substance and it reacts with naturally occurring substances to form compounds known as disinfection byproducts (DBPs).
Name Disinfection Byproducts	Acronym DBP	Definition Disinfection byproducts, or DBPs, result when disinfectants like chlorine combine with organic matter. The most common DBPs formed when chlorine is used are trihalomethanes (THMs), and haloacetic acids (HAAs).
Name Elevated Blood Level	Acronym	Definition The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) uses a reference value of 5 µg/dL to define elevated blood lead levels. This reference value was set at the 97.5^th percentile from national data.
Name Emergency	Acronym	Definition Incidents or events that threaten public health, safety, and lives.
Name Emergency Preparedness	Acronym	Definition Planning for events such as a natural disaster, acts of terrorism, or disease outbreaks.
Name Environmental Contaminant	Acronym	Definition A pollutant in the environment.
Name Environmental Hazard	Acronym	Definition Any condition or situation in the environment which poses a threat.
Name Environmental Protection Agency	Acronym EPA	Definition Federal agency. For more information, visit the Environmental Protection Agency website.
Name Environmental Public Health	Acronym EPH	Definition
Name Environmental Public Health Indicators	Acronym EPHI	Definition For more information, visit the Environmental Public Health Indicators Project.
Name Environmental Public Health Tracking	Acronym EPHT	Definition Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) refers to ongoing collection, integration, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of data from environmental hazard monitoring and human exposure or health effects surveillance. EPHT can also refer to the EPHT Program at the CDC. Visit Environmental Public Health Tracking Network.
Name Environmental Public Health Tracking Network	Acronym EPHTN	Definition The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) is currently leading the initiative to build a national Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Network. The national network integrates and standardizes data and information from various monitoring and surveillance systems at the federal, state and local levels. For more information, visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tracking Project.
Name Epidemiology	Acronym	Definition Study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations.
Name Exposure	Acronym	Definition Proximity to and/or contact with an agent which can cause illness or injury.
Name Group A Water System	Acronym	Definition A Group A water system regularly serves 15 or more service connections or 25 or more people per day for 60 or more days per year. A Group A system may be a community system (serving a residential population) or one of several types of non-community system. See also: Community Water Systems.
Name Group B Water System	Acronym	Definition A Group B water system serves fewer than 15 service connections and less than 25 people per day, or it serves 25 or more people per day for fewer than 60 days per year. Group B systems are subject to state regulatory guidelines but do not fall under the jurisdiction of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Group B system data are not currently portrayed in this portal. See also: Community Water Systems.
Name Haloacetic Acids	Acronym HAA5	Definition Haloacetic acids are byproducts of disinfecting public water supplies. Haloacetic acids (five) is the sum of the concentrations of mono-, di-, and trichloroacetic acids and mono- and dibromoacetic acids.
Name Health Impact Assessment	Acronym HIA	Definition Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is the evaluation of the effects of a new or changed policy or project on a population in a community before the change happens. For more information, see CDC Health Impact Assessment.
Name Health of Washington State Report	Acronym	Definition A statewide assessment of health status, health risks, and health care services. For more information, view the Health of Washington State report.
Name Health Youth Survey	Acronym HYS	Definition Washington State HYS measures health risk behaviors that contribute to morbidity, mortality, and social problems among youth. For more information, see the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey.
Name Heat Cramps	Acronym	Definition Heat cramps are muscle pains or spasms – usually in the stomach, arms, or legs – that may occur during strenuous activity. People who sweat a lot during strenuous activity are prone to heat cramps because sweating depletes the body's salt and moisture. Low salt levels in the muscles causes painful cramps. Heat cramps may also be a symptom of heat exhaustion.
Name Heat Exhaustion	Acronym	Definition Heat exhaustion is a mild form of heat-related illness that can develop after several days of exposure to high temperatures, combined with inadequate or unbalanced replacement of fluids. Those most prone to heat exhaustion are elderly people, those with high blood pressure, and those working or exercising in a hot environment.
Name Heat Rash	Acronym	Definition Heat rash is a skin irritation caused by excessive sweating during hot, humid weather. It can occur at any age but is most common in young children. Heat rash looks like a red cluster of pimples or small blisters.
Name Heat Stroke	Acronym	Definition Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness. It occurs when the body is not able to control its temperature: the body's temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. Body temperature can rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not provided immediately.
Name In Situ (Cancer)	Acronym	Definition A tumor that fulfills all microscopic criteria for malignancy but does not invade or penetrate surrounding tissue.
Name Incidence Rate	Acronym	Definition The frequency with which new cases of illness occur in a population over a specified period of time. The denominator is the population at risk; the numerator is the number of new cases occurring during the time period.
Name Infant Mortality	Acronym	Definition Death of a child younger than one year old. These deaths are often divided into two groupings: neonatal mortality (death of an infant within the first 27 days of life) and postneonatal mortality (death of an infant 28 – 364 days old).
Name Information by Location	Acronym IBL	Definition The IBL is a mapping tool that provides information about communities using relative rankings. The IBL tool presents information on complex issues that are characterized by a variety of measures.
Name International Agency for Research on Cancer	Acronym IARC	Definition WHO agency which coordinates and conducts research on the causes of human cancer, and develops scientific strategies for cancer control. For more information, visit the International Agency for Research on Cancer website.
Name International Classification of Diseases	Acronym ICD	Definition Codes, developed and maintained by WHO, to classify diseases and signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. Usually referred to by version, as in ICD-9 or ICD-10. For more information, visit the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases webpage.
Name Invasive Cancer	Acronym	Definition Malignant cancers which have spread from their point of origin when initially diagnosed.
Name Lead	Acronym Pb	Definition Lead (Pb) is a metal formed in the earth's crust and can be found in all parts of our environment—water, air, and soil.
Name Leukemia	Acronym	Definition Cancer of the blood or bone marrow, characterized by an abnormal proliferation (production by multiplication) of blood cells, usually white blood cells. Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases.
Name Low Birth Weight	Acronym	Definition A baby is born with low birth weight when its weight is less than 5.5 pounds at birth.
Name Lower CI	Acronym	Definition Listed on table in the data pages. See Confidence Interval.
Name Maximum Containment Level	Acronym MCL	Definition An MCL is an enforceable regulation that the EPA considers practically and feasibly attainable; the MCL must be maintained by the water system. In many cases, the MCL is equivalent to the MCLG (see below), because the EPA believes that the water system can provide this level of protection. For carcinogenic contaminants, however, the EPA realizes that it is most likely impossible to completely eliminate the contaminant and does not set an MCL at "zero." Rather, the EPA sets a level that can be attained, given available technology and resources.
Name Maximum Containment Level Goal	Acronym MCLG	Definition An MCLG is a maximum contaminant level goal, which is an aspirational goal. An MCLG indicates the ideal level of protection that can be provided against any adverse health effects that may be experienced after exposure to a given contaminant through drinking water.
Name Measure	Acronym	Definition A quantitative measurement indicating the magnitude of an indicator that can be used for comparison. Measure is also the lowest level in the hierarchy within the IBL mapping tool.
Name Medical Countermeasure	Acronym MCM	Definition Product regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that may be used during a public health emergency to diagnose, protect against, treat, or prevent conditions associated with chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear threats, or emerging infectious diseases.
Name Metropolitan Statistical Area	Acronym MSA	Definition A metropolitan area is a large population nucleus, together with adjacent communities having a high degree of social and economic integration with that core. Metropolitan areas comprise one or more entire counties. The federal Office of Management and Budget defines metropolitan areas for purposes of collecting, tabulating, and publishing federal data. Metropolitan statistical area (MSA) definitions result from applying published standards to Census Bureau data. Note that an MSA may span a boundary between two states; for example, Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington are categorized in the same MSA.
Name Microbiological (or microorganisms)	Acronym	Definition Refers to microscopic organisms.
Name Microenvironments	Acronym	Definition Microenvironments are well-defined surroundings such as the home, office, or kitchen that can be treated as uniform in terms of stressor (contaminant) concentration.
Name Micrograms per Cubic Meter of Air	Acronym μg/m3	Definition μg/m3
Name Micrograms per Deciliter	Acronym μg/dL	Definition μg/dL
Name Milligrams per liter	Acronym mg/l	Definition mg/l
Name Mobilization for Action through Planning Partnerships	Acronym MAPP	Definition Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) promotes strategic thinking and planning techniques to prioritize public health issues and enhance the performance of public health. For more information, visit the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnership website.
Name Myocardial Infarction	Acronym MI	Definition A myocardial infarction (MI, also termed AMI for acute myocardial infarction, and commonly called heart attack) occurs when blood flow to a section of heart muscle becomes blocked.
Name National Ambient Air Quality Standards	Acronym NAAQS	Definition The EPA established National Ambient Air Quality standards for six “criteria” pollutants commonly found in outdoor air. EPA calls these pollutants "criteria" air pollutants because it regulates them by developing human health-based and/or environmentally-based criteria (science-based guidelines) for setting permissible levels. For more information, visit the Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality Criteria webpage.
Name National Cancer Institute	Acronym NCI	Definition Federal agency, part of NIH. For more information, visit the National Cancer Institute website.
Name National Center for Environmental Health	Acronym CDC NCEH	Definition Federal environmental public health agency, part of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Environmental Health website.
Name National Center for Health Statistics	Acronym CDC NCHS	Definition Federal statistical agency for health data, part of the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. For more information, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics website.
Name National Institutes of Health	Acronym NIH	Definition Federal agency, part of Department of Health & Human Services. For more information, visit the National Institute of Health website.
Name Nationally Consistent Data Measures	Acronym NCDM	Definition Nationally Consistent Data Measures represent an attempt to establish standardized measures of particular environment and health conditions across many states, where all participants use the same calculation methods.
Name Nitrogen Dioxide	Acronym NO2	Definition Chemical formula: one nitrogen atom and two oxygen atoms. Nitrogen Dioxide is the result of nitric oxide combining with oxygen in the atmosphere; major component of photochemical smog. NO2 is one of six “criteria” pollutants regulated via the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. For more information, visit the Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality Criteria webpage.
Name Non-Governmental Organization	Acronym NGO	Definition Widely used term for non-business organization with no participation or representation of any government.
Name Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma	Acronym	Definition A diverse group of hematologic cancers which encompass any lymphoma other than Hodgkin lymphoma.
Name North American Association of Central Cancer Registries	Acronym NAACCR	Definition A professional organization that develops and promotes uniform data standards for cancer registration and conducts other activities to promote and support high quality cancer surveillance in North America. For more information, visit the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries website.
Name Not Reliable	Acronym NR	Definition There are two reasons for designating a rate as not reliable: issues of rate stability, and issues of undercount. Rates can be unstable when there are small numbers in the numerator or the denominator. For example, if an annual rate is based on an average of five cases in the numerator, the fact that one year with four cases is followed by a year with six cases is not statistically meaningful; but, that 50% increase from one year to the next could mislead users of the query system. WTN calculates the Relative Standard Error to determine whether a rate should be annotated with NR. Issues of undercount, which result in an underestimate of the rate, arise when the data source used by WTN has systematically excluded some cases. For example, Washington residents hospitalized in federal hospitals are not included in the state hospital discharge database CHARS (more detail on this is provided in the "Information About the Data" section on the Notes tab for each of the hospitalization measures).
Name Office of Financial Management, Washington State	Acronym OFM	Definition Washington state agency. For more information, visit the Washington State Office of Financial Management website.
Name Ozone	Acronym O3	Definition Chemical formula: three oxygen atoms. Ozone is usually formed through a chemical reaction between nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Ozone is necessary and important in high levels of the atmosphere, but ground-level ozone is considered “bad” and can be harmful to health. Ozone is one of the six pollutant regulated via the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. For more information, visit the Environmental Protection Agency Ozone Pollution webpage.
Name Particulate Matter	Acronym PM	Definition See PM10 and PM2.5
Name Particulate Matter	Acronym PM 2.5	Definition Fine particles 2.5 μm or less in size, which deposit in lower (smaller) air passages in the lungs. PM 2.5 is one of the “criteria” pollutants regulated via the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. For more information, visit the Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality Criteria webpage.
Name Particulate Matter	Acronym PM 10	Definition Coarse particles 10 μm or less in size, which deposit in upper (larger) air passages in the lungs. PM 10 is one of the “criteria” pollutants regulated via the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. For more information, visit the Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality Criteria webpage.
Name Particulates	Acronym	Definition Particulates may be found in air or water. Fine liquid or solid particles such as dust, smoke, mist, fumes, or smog are found in air or emissions. Very small solids suspended in water can vary in size, shape, density and electrical charge and can be gathered together by coagulation and flocculation. See also PM10 and PM2.5.
Name Parts Per Million	Acronym ppm	Definition
Name Preterm Birth	Acronym	Definition A baby is born preterm when the gestation period is less than 37 weeks. See also Very Preterm Birth and Very Low Birth Weight.
Name Prevalence Rate	Acronym	Definition The number of cases or events or conditions in a given population at a specified time, expressed as a proportion.
Name Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health	Acronym	Definition Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health (PACE-EH) directs the assessment of environmental health issues, the development of action plans, and the evaluation of progress on priority issues, keeping public values and priorities in mind. PACE EH includes methods to enhance awareness of environmental issues and to improve collaboration among diverse groups. For more information, see the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) website.
Name Public Water Systems	Acronym	Definition Public water systems provide piped water for human consumption to at least 15 service connections or regularly serve 25 individuals. Community water systems are one kind of public system. All public water systems are subject to government regulation for contaminants.
Name Radionucleotide	Acronym	Definition A radionucleotide is an atom with an unstable nucleus that undergoes radioactive decay and emits gamma rays or subatomic particles. Also called radioactive isotopes.
Name Radon	Acronym	Definition Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is a radioactive decay product of Uranium or Thorium to Radium and then radon gas. Uranium, thorium, radium and radon gas are naturally occurring elements on earth.
Name Rank	Acronym	Definition A rank is a relative scoring value for a single geography (e.g., census tract, zip code, etc.). It is determined using all of the rate or percentage values from a geography for a measure using deciles.
Name Relative Standard Error	Acronym RSE	Definition The Relative Standard Error is a measure of the reliability or precision of the value estimated for a health measure, and is expressed as a percentage. RSE can be defined as the ratio of the statistical Standard Error (SE) to the estimated value itself, but is calculated differently depending upon the type of data. A RSE of 10% implies that the standard error is one-tenth as large as the value. If a RSE is greater than 30% (that is, if the SE is one third as large as the value itself), then WTN annotates the value as "Not Reliable".
Name Safe Drinking Water Act	Acronym SDWA	Definition Federal law in the United States that covers drinking water for the public. For more information, visit the Environmental Protection Agency Safe Drinking Water webpage.
Name Sex Ratio	Acronym	Definition The sex ratio at birth is the ratio of male to female births.
Name Singleton	Acronym	Definition A pregnancy with a single fetus.
Name Standard	Acronym	Definition A numerical value which represents an attainable goal. A standard can be established as a result of research (termed an "empirical" basis) or as the result of deliberations by a panel of experts (termed a "normative" basis). Targets may be established for concentrations of a chemical in the environment, a level of exposure experienced by a person, or a rate of a disease in a population. (See also Benchmark)
Name State Environmental Public Health Indicators Collaborative	Acronym SEHIC	Definition Joint CDC-CSTE Environmental Public Health Indicators project. For more information, see the CSTE SEHIC description.
Name Sulfur Dioxide	Acronym SO2	Definition Chemical formula: one sulfur atom and two oxygen atoms. A pungent, colorless, gas formed primarily by the combustion of fossil fuels; becomes a pollutant when present in large amounts. Sulfur dioxide is one of the six criteria pollutants regulated via the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
Name Suppression	Acronym	Definition Suppression is shown in WTN data tables by asterisks: "** indicates data suppression to protect confidentiality" and by use of hatching on charts and maps. WTN uses suppression rules for all health outcome data. These rules can differ, depending on data steward restrictions. Most health outcome data follow denominator and numerator rules established by the national CDC Tracking Program: if the denominator for a rate calculation is 100,000 or greater, then no data are suppressed; if the denominator is less than 100,000 and the numerator for a rate calculation is less than six, then the count and rate are suppressed; a numerator of zero is not suppressed. The suppression rules for cancer data on WTN differ slightly: if the numerator for a rate calculation is less than ten, then the count and rate are suppressed; otherwise, the rules are the same.
Name Surveillance	Acronym	Definition The ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data (e.g., regarding agent/hazard, risk factor, exposure, health event) essential to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice, closely integrated with the timely dissemination of these data to those responsible for prevention and control.
Name Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results	Acronym SEER	Definition NCI program which collects information on cancer incidence, survival, and prevalence from specific geographic areas representing 26 percent of the US population and compiles reports on all of these plus cancer mortality for the entire US. For more information, visit the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results website.
Name Theme	Acronym	Definition A theme is the middle level hierarchy within the IBL mapping tool. A theme is composed of a defined set of measures, which have a common geography (e.g., census tract, zip code, etc.)
Name Tracking	Acronym	Definition Tracking is another word for surveillance and monitoring. See also EPHT
Name Topic	Acronym	Definition A topic is the top level in the information hierarchy within the IBL mapping tool. A topic is composed of a defined set of themes and more detailed measures, which have a common geography (e.g., census tract, zip code, etc.)
Name Total Trihalomethanes	Acronym TTHM	Definition Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM) are the total amount of trihalomethanes allowed by the EPA.
Name Trihalomethanes	Acronym THM	Definition THMs and other disinfection byproducts are formed when disinfectants such as chlorine, used to control disease-causing contaminants in drinking water, react with naturally occurring organic matter in the source water. The primary trihalomethanes of concern are chloroform, dibromochloromethane, bromodichloromethane, and bromoform.
Name Upper end of Confidence Level	Acronym Upper CI	Definition Confidence intervals are used to account for the difference between a sample from a population and the population itself. They can also be used to account for uncertainty that arises from natural variation. Confidence intervals provide a means of assessing and reporting the precision of a point estimate, such as a hospitalization rate.
Name Veterans Administration	Acronym VA	Definition Federal Agency.
Name Very Low Birth Weight	Acronym	Definition A baby is born with very low birth weight when its weight is less than three pounds five ounces at birth
Name Very Preterm Birth	Acronym	Definition A baby is born very preterm when the gestation period is less than 32 weeks.
Name Washington Administrative Code	Acronym WAC	Definition Washington Administrative Code, or WAC, refers to the body of regulations of executive branch agencies. Regulations are a source of primary law in Washington State.
Name Washington Air Quality Advisory	Acronym WAQA	Definition The Washington Air Quality Advisory is a tool designed by the Washington State Department of Ecology to show outdoor air quality conditions across the state. It places air quality in different color-coded categories, similar to the EPA's AQI, but the categories are set at lower levels of air pollution to be more protective. For more information, visit the Washington Air Quality Advisory website.
Name Washington Asthma Initiative	Acronym WAI	Definition An NGO partner with DOH asthma program. For more information, visit the Washington Asthma Initiative website.
Name Washington State Cancer Registry	Acronym WSCR	Definition Washington's centralized source for cancer data, housed at the Washington State Department of Health. For more information, visit the Washington State Cancer Registry website.
Name Washington Tracking Network	Acronym WTN	Definition With funding from CDC's Environmental Health Tracking Branch, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is implementing the Washington Tracking Network (WTN) as a part of the broader National and State Environmental Public Health Tracking Networks.
Name World Health Organization	Acronym WHO	Definition Global health agency, part of the United Nations. For more information, see World Health Organization website.
Name WTN Search Data tool	Acronym	Definition In the WTN Search Data tool, users can search for individual measures, view notes, graphs, tables, and maps for rates and percentages, and export data to comma-separated (CSV) format.
Name Zoonotic Diseases	Acronym	Definition An infectious disease transmitted from animals to humans.

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