What indicators could public health use to measure CAMH?

There are a variety of indicators that could be used to measure CAMH. There are data sources available at the federal and/or state level (e.g., National Survey of Children’s Health, National Survey of Drug Use & Health, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, School Health Profiles); however, local decisions more often need to be based on local data. The indicators highlighted in this playbook include 1) school attendance, 2) school disciplinary actions, and 3) school readiness, all of which can be retrieved at the local level. These indicators have the potential to provide useful information about CAMH. Additionally, they are based on data that are already being collected and are potentially available to health departments to use as a starting point to assess and improve CAMH. These indicators also allow for the monitoring of CAMH at a wide range of child and adolescent ages (e.g., early childhood through high school). Important information about each of these three indicators (e.g., definition, domains, data sources) is detailed in the Profiles of Proposed Indicators section.