INDICATORS OF HEALTH

-Morbidity indicators

-Disability rates

-Nutritional status indicators

-Health care delivery indicators

-Utilization rates

-Indicators of social and mental health

-Environmental indicators

-Socioeconomic indicators

-Health policy indicators

-Indicators of quality of life

indicators of health.

-Crude Death Rate

-Life Expectancy

-Infant Mortality Rate

mortality indicators.

CRUDE DEATH RATE

the number of deaths per 1000 population per year in a community.

LIFE EXPECTANCY

the average number of years that will be lived.

INFANT MORTALITY RATE

the ratio of deaths under 1 year age in a given year to the total numer of live births in the same year.

CHILD MORTALITY RATE

the number of deaths at ages 1-4 years in a given year per 1000 children.

UNDER -5 PROPORTIONATE MORTALITY RATE

the proportion of total deaths occurring in the under -5 age group.

MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE

the greatest proportion of deaths among women of reproductive age.

DISEASE-SPECIFIC MORTALITY RATE

mortality rates computed for specific diseases.

MORBIDITY INDICATORS:
- incidence and prevalence
- notification rates
- attendance rates at outpatient departments
- health centers
- admission
- readmission and discharge rates
- duration of stay in hospital
- spells of sickness or absence from work or school

supplement mortality data to describe the health status of a population.

NUTRITIONAL STATUS INDICATORS

• a positive health indicator.

• consist of anthropometric measurements of preschool children.

  • weight and height

  • mid-arm circumference

  • prevalence of low birth weight (<2.5 kg)

-Clinical History

-Dietary Assessment

-Physical Examination

-Anthropometric Measurements

-Diagnostic Tests

components of a comprehensive nutritional assessment that need to be performed while evaluating the nutritional status of individuals.

CLINICAL HISTORY

look for indicators of malnutrition and identify underlying factors that may lead to malnutrition or increase risk of malnutrition.

• NAME

• AGE

• SEX

identification markers.

• FEVER

• FATIGUE

• MALAISE

• LOSS OF APPETITE

symptoms

DIETARY ASSESSMENT

ensure adequate nutrition and hydration intake.

• history about dietary habits, frequency of meals, and serving sizes need to be collected.

• details about food preferences, restrictive diets, and allergies should be noted.

• current nutrient and fluid intake should be recorded.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION

to identify signs of malnutrition and factors affecting nutritional status.

• general condition and appearance should be observed and noted. Signs of emaciation.

• vital signs should be checked and recorded:

  • body temperature

  • pulse

  • blood pressure

  • respiratory rate

• height and weight measurements should be taken to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI): undernourished or overnourished.

ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS

measures usually taken of:

• height

• weight

• BMI

• circumference

  • arm

  • abdomen

  • thigh

DIAGNOSTIC TEST

laboratory tests, visceral proteins, micronutrient levels.

-Serum Electrolytes

-Blood Urea Nitrogen

-Creatinine

-Blood Glucose Levels

-Lipid Profile

-Liver Enzymes

-Complete Blood Count

-Cholesterol Levels

laboratory tests

-Albumin

-Prealbumin

-Retinol (binding protein)

visceral proteins

-Vit B

-Vit A

-Vit C

-Vit D

-Vit E

-Vit K

micronutrient levels

-Thiamine

-Riboflavin

-Niacin

-Pyridoxine

-Folic Acid

-B12

vitamin B

-PHYSIOLOGICAL

-PATHOLOGICAL

-PSYCHOSOCIAL

factors affecting nutritional status.

PHYSIOLOGICAL

age, sex, growth, pregnancy, lactation.

PATHOLOGICAL

genetics, infections, medical and surgical illnesses, surgery, trauma, malignancies, medications.

PSYCHOSOCIAL

socioeconomic conditions, natural calamities, man-made calamities, cultural norms, religious beliefs.

HEALTH CARE DELIVERY INDICATORS

doctor-population ratio, doctor-nurse ratio, population bed ratio, population per health/subcenter and population per traditional birth attendant.

UTILIZATION RATES

proportion of people in need of service who actually receive it in a given period (usually a year).

• indication of care needed by a population.

HEALTH CARE

a multitude of services rendered to individuals, families or communities by professions, to promote health.

HEALTH SYSTEMS

based on contemporary ideas and concepts and available resources.

-PRIMARY

-SECONDARY

-TERTIARY

levels of health care.

PRIMARY

first level of eye contact between the individual and the health system.

SECONDARY

more complex problems are dealt with.

TERTIARY

offers super specialist care.

INDICATORS OF SOCIAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

acts of violence and other crime, road traffic accidents, alcohol and drug abuse, smoking.

ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS

reflect the quality of physical and biological environment (diseases occur and which the people live.

• pollution of air

• water radiation

• solid wastes

• noise

• exposure to toxic substances in food or drink

SOCIOECONOMIC INDICATORS

rate of population increase, level of unemployment, dependency ratio, literacy rates (esp. female), family size.

HEALTH POLICY INDICATORS

important indicator: allocation of adequate resources.

• proportion of gross national product (GNP) spent on health services.

• proportion of GNP spent on health-related activities.

• proportion of total health resources devoted to primary health care.