Sources Of Health & Demographic Information Flashcards
What is demography?
The study of the size, structure, dispersement + development of human populations
Demography is used to establish reliable statistics on:
- Population size + distribution
- Birth + death rates
- Life expectancy
- Migration
What are the 2 census’?
Birth registration
Death registration
What is a census?
The simultaneous recording of demographic data by the government at a particular time pertaining to all the persons who live in a particular territory (describes both households + people)
What is the history + process for UK census?
Office for National Statistics (ONS) in England + Wales
Every 10 yrs since 1841 (legally)
Low enumeration groups
Accuracy - Census Coverage/Quality Survey (interviews)
Move to administrate data/online > 2021
What data is included in the UK census?
Demographic (age/sex breakdown) Cultural characteristics (ethnicity/religion) Material deprivation (employment/home ownership/overcrowding/car access/lone parents/lone pensioners) Health (general, long-term illness, unpaid care) Workplace + journey to work
What areas are included in the census and who collects the data?
Output areas
Super output areas
Electoral wards
Collected by:
Local authorities
Clinical commissioning groups
How can you assess the quality of health information?
Completeness Accuracy Representativeness/relevance Timeliness Accessibility
What are the strengths of the UK census?
C - 98% completeness
A -Forms, coverage + quality surveys are checked
R - Data available for different levels (200 people to a country)
T -
A - Via website + local councils
What are the weaknesses of the UK census?
C - low enumeration of some groups
A - self reported i.e. religion as ‘Jedi’
R - Low enumeration of some groups
T - 10 years so takes time to release
A - individual returns confidential 100 yr
Why is the data in the UK census of value to health workers?
Population size + structure i.e. young, old + ethnic minorities -> service needs Base population (denominator) -> rates Measures of material deprivation -> identify + target inequalities
How are births registered?
Birth notification by birth attendant within 36 hrs to health authority + birth registration by parents within 42 days -> local registrar for births, marriages + deaths -> ONS (birth statistics)
What are the 3 measures of fertility?
- Crude birth rate (live births/1000 popl.)
- General fertility rate (live births/1000 women 15-44 yrs)
- Total fertility rate (no. of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to end of childbearing years + bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates i.e. 2.1 births/woman in Britain)
What are the 3 factors that affect total fertility rate?
- Delay in childbearing to older ages
- Lower completed family size
- Population structure
How are deaths registered?
Medical certificate of cause of death issued by Dr (fact of death, age + place & death info) + referral to coroner for coroners certificate -> death registration by informant within 5 days to local registrar for births, marriages + deaths -> ONS (mortality stats; coded using ICD10)
What are the 3 underlying causes of death that are included in a death certificate?
- Disease or condition DIRECTLY leading to death
- Other disease or condition, if any, leading to 1 (INTERMEDIATE cause of death)
- Other disease or condition, if any, leading to 2 (UNDERLYING cause of death)
Define the underlying cause of death.
The disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death
OR
The circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury
How is the underlying cause of death used?
Used in mortality statistics as preventing the first disease/injury will result in the greatest population health gain
A patient with primary squamous cell carcinoma of the lung died from an intracerebral haemorrhage, which was caused by cerebral metastases from the primary. What are the 3 types/causes of death?
Direct cause: Intracerebral haemorrhage
Intermediate cause: Cerebral metastases
Underlying cause: Carcinoma
What are the strengths of the mortality data?
Complete coverage in UK (for births too)Important information of health of population
What are the weaknesses of the mortality data?
Accuracy? e.g. underlying cause of death subject to diagnostic uncertainty, coding issues + variable quality
Ethnicity not collected
Derivation of socio-economic status (posthumous inflation of stats)
Why are population estimates + projections needed?
For planning services/resource allocation
In the past: understand what has been happening to population
The present: to make sense of present activity
In the future: to predict what is going to change