standardised mortality ratios

Question 1

what is the SMR

Answer 1

observed deaths compared to expected if same mortility and morbidity as a standard population corrected for differences in age (and sex) structure

Question 2

Use of an SMR

Answer 2

Used for comparing one area with a “standard population”, adjusting for age (often also sex)
It is especially applicable where the two populations have dissimilar age distributions, and in cases where direct age standardization may not be appropriate because the study population is small, or when lack of age-specific mortality rates precludes calculation of directly-age-standardized mortality rates.