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. Health indicators are often used by governments to guide health care policy or to make goals for improving population health.

Characteristics

A health indicator which will be used internationally to describe global health should have the following characteristics: #It should be defined in such a way that it can be measured uniformly internationally. #It must have

statistical validity Validity is the main extent to which a concept, conclusion or measurement is well-founded and likely corresponds accurately to the real world. The word "valid" is derived from the Latin validus, meaning strong. The validity of a measurement tool ( ...

. #The indicator must be data which can feasibly be collected in a reasonable amount of time. #The analysis of the data must result in a recommendation on which people can make changes to improve health

Health indicator examples

*This is not a comprehensive list of health indicators.

Health status

* Life expectancy at birth ** Number of years a newborn is expected to live based on current mortality trends. * Infant mortality rate ** Number of infant deaths (children under 1 year) per 1,000 live births in a year. *

Neonatal mortality rate Infant mortality is the death of young children under the age of 1. This death toll is measured by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the probability of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births. The under-five morta ...

** Number of newborn deaths (children under 28 days) per 1,000 births in a year. * Maternal mortality ratio ** Number of women who die due to pregnancy or birth complications per 100,000 births in a year. * Mortality from cardiovascular diseases *

Cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

incidence *

Diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

incidence * Depression incidence * Disability adjusted life years (DALY) ** A measurement of premature death or lower quality of life due to disability. * 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.

Risk factors

* Alcohol consumption * Smoking in adults * Physical exercise habits * Condom use * Obesity rate * Asthma rate * High blood pressure rate * Air pollution levels * Exclusive breastfeeding rate ** Number of mothers who only feed their infants breast milk for the first 6 months of life per a unit of measurement. * Child stunting rate ** 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. * Child wasting rate ** 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.

Health systems

* Healthcare coverage ** Number of people with some type of health care coverage/insurance per unit of measurement. * Hospital beds per capita * Doctors per capita * Nurses per capita * Hospital readmission rates * Health expenditure as percentage of GDP ** Percentage of a nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) used toward healthcare. * People with

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

aware of their status * Breast cancer screening rate * Birth registration rate ** Number of people with a government- verified birth certificate per unit of measurement. * Death registration rate ** Number of people with a government- verified death certificate per unit of measurement.

Applications

Health indicators are commonly used to make large-scale or community health-related decisions. 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. 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. Additionally, health indicators can highlight health disparities in a population. 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. Health indicators are used by many institutions, including international organizations such as the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

and

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...

(WHO). 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), an
Global Alliance for Africa

References

External links

World Health Statistics 2012 Indicator compendium
created by the

World Health Statistics 2012 Global Health Indicators

Health Indicatorslist of health indicators
created by the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...

HealthyPeople.gov
created by the

United States Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto ...

Community Health Status Indicators
a project of the Centers for Disease Control

a project of Statistics Canada
HealthIndicators.gov
a database of US health indicators {{Authority control Biostatistics Medical statistics Pharmaceutical statistics Indicators