Rate Stabilizing Tools

For Everyone

Purpose

Rate Stabilizing Tools make it easier for users to calculate statistically robust local-level measures of population health. The resulting data are important for tailoring public health programs to the needs of communities.

RSTbx and RSTr

Available tools

The Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention has developed two Rate Stabilizing Tools:

  • The RSTbx is for ArcGIS users; instructions are included.
  • The RSTr is for R users; instructions are included.

Key features of the rate stabilizing tool

  • Developed in response to increasing demand for small area measures of chronic disease.
  • Use Bayesian spatial models to generate robust small area estimates at the county and sub-county levels.
  • Produce measures of statistical uncertainty/reliability.
  • Include age-standardization.
  • Detailed tutorials are available with each tool.
  • Computationally fast.

A tutorial for using the RSTbx and the RSTr was published in 2026: Bayesian Models to Generate Small Area Estimates of Population Health: Tutorial for Using Rate Stabilizing Tools and Their Output - PubMed

Acknowledgements

The RSTbx was developed by the Children's Environmental Health Initiative (CEHI) in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the Florida Department of Health, and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors.

 CEHI at University of Illinois – Chicago is a research, education, and outreach program committed to fostering environments where all people can prosper.

More information

CDC's Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke allows users to create their own local-level maps using high-quality data on heart disease and stroke, risk factors, social determinants of health, demographics, and proximity to care.

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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP); About the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention