The newly developed State Policy & Politics Database (SPPD) State Policy Index provides researchers interested in how U.S. state policy contexts predict population health with an index that is longitudinal, interpretable, and valid for population health analyses.

The index is publicly available on ICPSR as part of the State Policy & Politics Database (SPPD) V2. SPPD contains annual data on specific state policies, state policy indices such as the SPPD State Policy Index, and the political ideology of states’ government and residents. The variables are particularly relevant for population health. The SPPD includes several categories of policies, including labor and economic policies (e.g., minimum wage levels, right to work laws), social safety net policies (e.g., earned income tax credits, SNAP), and behavior policies (e.g., tobacco taxes, opioid prescribing). Most measures are available annually from 1980.

A detailed description of the index and the appropriate uses of policy indices is available in Montez, Gutin, and Monnat, “U.S. State Policy Index for Population Heath Analyses” The Milbank Quarterly http://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.70085