WISQARS NVDRS Practice Questions

WISQARS NVDRS is a query system that provides researchers, decision makers, media, and the general public with easy access to detailed information on violent deaths.

If you are a first-time WISQARS NVDRS user, please take time to answer the following practice questions to familiarize yourself with the system’s various options and outputs. Check your results against our answers below. For all practice questions, use the Abstracter Assigned Mode of Determining a Manner or Cause of Death.

Please contact CDC-INFO with questions about the WISQARS NVDRS module. (Media are welcome to contact our CDC Injury Center Media Line at 770-488-4902.)

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Practice Question #1

Determine the number of homicides for males in all 16 NVDRS states combined for the year 2006, and sort the results by race. What is the number of homicides for black males?

The output may look like this:

2006, 16 NVDRS States: AK, CO, GA, KY, MD, MA, NJ, NM, NC, OK, OR, RI, SC, UT, VA, WI
All Victims Death Counts and Rates per 100,000, Abstracter Assigned Mode
Homicide, All Mechanisms
All Races, Males, All Ages

The correct answer is: 1,882

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Practice Question #2

Determine the number of homicides where the victim was a spouse or other intimate partner of the suspect for all 16 NVDRS states combined for the year 2006. What was the number of hanging/suffocation homicides obtained using this query?

The output may look like this:

2006, 16 NVDRS States: AK, CO, GA, KY, MD, MA, NJ, NM, NC, OK, OR, RI, SC, UT, VA, WI
All Victims Death Counts and Rates per 100,000, Abstracter Assigned Mode
Homicide, Spouse/Intimate Partner, Hanging/Suffocation
All Races, Both Sexes, All Ages

The correct answer is: 25

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Practice Question #3

Assess the circumstances of death for females ages 25-44 years who committed suicide, for all 16 NVDRS states combined for the year 2006. What percentage of females who died of suicide with known circumstance information had “a crisis in the past two weeks?”

The output may look like this:

2006, 16 NVDRS States: AK, CO, GA, KY, MD, MA, NJ, NM, NC, OK, OR, RI, SC, UT, VA, WI
Death Counts by Circumstances of Death, Abstracter Assigned Mode
Suicide Circumstances, All Mechanisms
All Races, Females, Ages 25 to 44

* Note: Victims can have one or more circumstances; therefore, subcategories may not sum to all known circumstances.

The correct answer is: 30%

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Practice Question #4

Assess the circumstances for suicide victims who were suspected of a recent homicide, for the state of Colorado from 2004-2006. What was the number of deaths that occurred in a house or apartment (including driveway, porch, or yard)?

The output may look like this:

2006, 2005, 2004, NVDRS States: CO
Suicide Victims Suspected of a Recent Homicide - Death counts by Circumstances of Deaths Place of Injury, Abstracter Assigned Mode
Suicide: Homicide followed by Suicide, All Mechanisms
All Races, Both Sexes, All Ages

The correct answer is: 31

 

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