WEEK 8 Flashcards
what is demography?
The scientific study of human populations primarily with respect to their size, structure and development
what are the uses of population health data
to gauge trends
priority setting planning, legislation, and budgeting
serve information needs
policy and program monitoring and evaluation
international sharing
health impact assessment
how do we gauge trends
Follow population health patterns in relation to changes in the economy, the environment, and demographics; recognize health issues and identify the social characteristics and geographic areas in which they occur
how do we use health data for planning, legislation and budgeting
Identify types and distribution of health problems to anticipate future needs and set public health priorities and budgets; collect data for planners and legislators including the number of people who must be reached their characteristics and location
how do we use health data to serve information
Produce statistics for education campaigns and for presentation to voters, workers, schoolchildren, experts, and officials; and guide health-related programs and activities in other sectors
how do we use health data for policy and program monitoring
Monitor progress and assess policies and programs, including their impact on particular social groups, and reconfigure them if necessary
how do we use health data for international sharing, comparison, and reporting
Carry out surveillance (ongoing data collection, analysis and reporting) of public health emergencies; monitor and report health statistics to global health agencies
what is the health impact assessment
Assess the health implications of a range of decisions in order to inform policy making
why can health data not determine on their own, the policies that affect health
Once data are collected and analyzed, they enter into political and institutional decision making processes as one of a variety of factors to be considered
why can health data no give causal explanations
Mortality and morbidity data alone do not provide causal pathways, nor do they explain how and why health and disease rates follow particular patterns
what is population data
the number of people in a population, who comprise the population at risk for disease, disability, and death. Important characteristics include the age structure of the population, its sex/gender composition, and the distribution of such social characteristics as occupation, race/ethnicity, nativity, social class, religon, and geographic location
what is vital statistics
live births; death by sex/gender, age and cause; and marriages. In some countries, migration, adoptions, divorce, and other categories are also recorded by vital statistics agencies
what is morbidity statistics
morbidity by type, severity, and outcome (e.g., illness, injury, physical or mental disability), including data on notifiable diseases (whose reporting is mandated by law) and data obtained from registries for cancer and other diseases
what is health services statistics
Numbers and types of facilities and services available; distribution, qualifications, and functions of personnel; nature of services, diagnostic and treatment modalities and their utilization rates; hospital and health center operations; organization of government and private health care systems; costs, payment mechanisms, and related information
what is data on social determinants of health inequities
societal factors that lead to inequities in health – rates of absolute and relative poverty, levels of education, and occupational exposures, among others; population groups categorized by social class, race/ethnicity, nativity, religion, location, and sex/gender in order to identify how equally or unequally health (and health care services) are distributed in a population
what are the challenges in collecting and using health data
Reluctance to admit failures, deliberately hiding data, intentionally misreporting – fear of harming economies, political loss/gain
Large scale political and economic debates and conflicts of interests
distribution of power and resources
what are the essential factors of the census
Individual enumeration
Defined periodicity
Universality within a defined territory
Simultaneity
what are the challenges and limitations of the census
Complexity, costs, - preparation, training
Political pressure
war/conflicts
errors/miscounts
Mistrust in government
Confidentiality
Language
Resistance
Classification challenges (e.g. age, race/ethnicity)
what is the equation for population growth
population (t) + (births - deaths) + (in - out migrants)
what is vital statistics
Civil registration of major life events (births, adoptions, deaths, marriage, divorce)
when did we reach the first billion people
1800
population increased continually until when
the 1400’s because of the plague
