CHN-LESSON2

Health Statistics and Epidemiology

Introduction

• Vital or Health Statistics: Application of statistical measures to vital events (births, deaths, common illnesses) to gauge health levels in communities and countries.

• Epidemiology: Study of disease distribution and factors affecting it; primarily aims to identify causation factors for preventive measures.

Lesson 1: Vital Statistics

→ Application of statistical measures to vital events (births, deaths, common illnesses)

• Purpose: Gauge health, illness, and service levels in communities.

Health Indicators

→ list of information that would determine the health of a particular community or country.

• Metrics to determine community or country health:

  • Population size

  • Crude birth rate

  • Crude death rate

  • Infant and maternal death rates

  • Neonatal death rates

  • Tuberculosis death rate

Common Vital Statistical Indicators

• Birth

• Death

• Marriage

• Migration

Grouping of Vital Statistical Indicators:

• Fertility Rates

• Mortality Rates

• Morbidity Rates

Definition of Terms

• Crude Rates: Based on total geographic population.

• Specific Rates: Events related to specific population segments, valuable for comparison based on characteristics (age, sex, educational attainment, marital status, occupation, race and even exposure to diseases or risk factors of diseases).

• Midyear Population: Estimated population as of July 1, considers births, deaths, migrations. May be considered a representative of the population for the whole year.

• Birth: Complete expulsion or extraction of fetus from mother.

• Live Birth: Infant shows signs of life post-birth (breathing, heartbeat, etc.).

• Death: World Medical Assembly as early as 1968 identified the following guidelines for physicians as indications of death;

  • absence of response to stimuli

  • no muscular movement

  • no reflexes

  • flat encephalogram(brainwaves)

• Maternal Death: Death of a woman during pregnancy or within 90 days post-termination, regardless of cause or method of termination.