Biology:Health indicator

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Short description: Measure of quality of health, or magnitude of public health change caused by actions

Health indicators are quantifiable characteristics of a population which researchers use as supporting evidence for describing the health of a population. Typically, researchers will use a survey methodology to gather information about a population sample, use statistics in an attempt to generalize the information collected to the entire population, and then use the statistical analysis to make a statement about the health of the population.[1] Health indicators are often used by governments to guide health care policy or to make goals for improving population health.[1]

Characteristics

A health indicator which will be used internationally to describe global health should have the following characteristics:

  1. It should be defined in such a way that it can be measured uniformly internationally.[2]
  2. It must have statistical validity.[2]
  3. The indicator must be data which can feasibly be collected in a reasonable amount of time.[2][3]
  4. The analysis of the data must result in a recommendation on which people can make changes to improve health[2]

Health indicator examples

*This is not a comprehensive list of health indicators.

Health status

  • Life expectancy at birth[4]
    • Number of years a newborn is expected to live based on current mortality trends.[5]
  • Infant mortality rate[4]
    • Number of infant deaths (children under 1 year) per 1,000 live births in a year.[5]
  • Neonatal mortality rate[4]
    • Number of newborn deaths (children under 28 days) per 1,000 births in a year.[5]
  • Maternal mortality ratio[6]
    • Number of women who die due to pregnancy or birth complications per 100,000 births in a year.[5]
  • Mortality from cardiovascular diseases[6]
  • Cancer incidence[6]
  • Diabetes incidence[6]
  • Depression incidence[6]
  • Disability adjusted life years (DALY)
    • A measurement of premature death or lower quality of life due to disability.[5]
  • Activities of daily living (ADL)
    • A measurement of ability to self-sustain based on ability to perform daily activities such as dressing, feeding, and grooming.[7]

Risk factors

  • Alcohol consumption[4]
  • Smoking in adults[4]
  • Physical exercise habits[4]
  • Condom use[6]
  • Obesity rate[6]
  • Asthma rate[6]
  • High blood pressure rate[6]
  • Air pollution levels[6]
  • Exclusive breastfeeding rate[6]
    • Number of mothers who only feed their infants breast milk for the first 6 months of life per a unit of measurement.[5]
  • Child stunting rate[6]
    • Number of children who have a low height for their age (more than two standard deviations below the international reference) due to poor nutrition per a unit of measurement.[5]
  • Child wasting rate[6]
    • Number of children who have a low weight for their height (more than two standard deviations below the international reference) due to poor nutrition per a unit of measurement.[5]

Health systems

  • Healthcare coverage[4]
    • Number of people with some type of health care coverage/insurance per unit of measurement.[4]
  • Hospital beds per capita[4]
  • Doctors per capita[4]
  • Nurses per capita[4]
  • Hospital readmission rates[6]
  • Health expenditure as percentage of GDP[6]
    • Percentage of a nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) used toward healthcare.[6]
  • People with HIV aware of their status[6]
  • Breast cancer screening rate[6]
  • Birth registration rate[6]
    • Number of people with a government- verified birth certificate per unit of measurement.[6]
  • Death registration rate[6]
    • Number of people with a government- verified death certificate per unit of measurement.[6]

Applications

Health indicators are commonly used to make large-scale or community health-related decisions.[8] By describing the current health of a population, the areas that need improvement become evident, and policy-makers and health professionals can work to fill these gaps.[8][3] Once interventions are put in place to try to improve the health of a population, health indicators can then be used to evaluate the success of the intervention.[3]

Additionally, health indicators can highlight health disparities in a population.[3] Differences in health indicators among genders, races, ethnic groups, socioeconomic classes, and other groups can be used to guide policy and interventions that will bring health equity in the future.[3]

Health indicators are used by many institutions, including international organizations such as the United Nations and World Health Organization (WHO).[9][10] They are also used by smaller-scale community health organizations, hospitals, and other medical and public health organizations such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC), National Institute of Health (NIH), The African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships (ACHAP), and Global Alliance for Africa.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Skolnik, Richard L. (2021). Global health 101 (4th ed.). Burlington, MA. ISBN 978-1-284-14539-7. OCLC 1126251416. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1126251416. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Larson, C.; Mercer, A. (2004). "Global health indicators: An overview". Canadian Medical Association Journal 171 (10): 1199–1200. doi:10.1503/cmaj.1021409. PMID 15534313. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Health Indicators: Conceptual and Operational Considerations". 2022. https://www3.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_docman&view=download&category_slug=health-analysis-metrics-evidence-9907&alias=45249-health-indicators-conceptual-operational-considerations-249&Itemid=270&lang=pt. 
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 Development., Organisation for Economic Co-operation and (2015). Health at a Glance 2015 : OECD Indicators.. OECD Publishing. ISBN 978-92-64-24351-4. OCLC 932052293. http://worldcat.org/oclc/932052293. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Skolnik, Richard L. (2021). Global health 101 (4th ed.). Burlington, MA. ISBN 978-1-284-14539-7. OCLC 1126251416. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1126251416. 
  6. ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 World Health Organization (2018). "2018 Global Reference List of 100 Core Health Indicators". https://score.tools.who.int/fileadmin/uploads/score/Documents/Enable_data_use_for_policy_and_action/100_Core_Health_Indicators_2018.pdf. 
  7. ↑ "Activity and Mobility Promotion". 2022. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/geriatric_medicine_gerontology/_downloads/readings/section9.pdf. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Culyer, Anthony (1978-12-31). Measuring Health: Lessons for Ontario. University of Toronto Press. doi:10.3138/9781442653412. ISBN 978-1-4426-5341-2. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.3138/9781442653412/html. 
  9. ↑ World Health Organization (2018). "2018 Global Reference List of 100 Core Health Indicators". https://score.tools.who.int/fileadmin/uploads/score/Documents/Enable_data_use_for_policy_and_action/100_Core_Health_Indicators_2018.pdf. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Leading Health Indicators 2030. 2020-03-05. doi:10.17226/25682. ISBN 978-0-309-67187-3. http://dx.doi.org/10.17226/25682. 
  11. ↑ "Resources on African Health and Diseases". https://www.africa.upenn.edu/health/ngos_org.htm. 

External links



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