Return to Home > Vital Statistics Practices > Training Resource: Statistical Measures and Definitions Statistical Measures and Definitions NAPHSIS has developed this web site to provide vital statistics users with basic terminology and measures commonly used by its members and CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
Common Vital Statistics Measures - Absolute counts of births and deaths do not readily lend themselves to analysis and comparison between years and between various geographic areas because of population differences. These demographic differences include total number, age and sex distribution, and ethnic or racial differentials. In order to assess the health status of a particular population at a specified time, the absolute number of events is converted to a relative number such as a probability of living or dying, i.e., a rate, a ratio, or an index. This conversion is made by relating the number of events to the population at risk in a particular area at a specified time. NAPHSIS has developed definitions, calculations, examples, and technical notes of relevant issues for the measures (rates, ratios, percentages, etc.) commonly found in vital statistics publications and reports prepared by state health departments and the National Center for Health Statistics and regularly used for national, state and community public health assessment purposes.
Natality Measures- Age-Specific Birth Rate
Crude Birth Rate
General Fertility Rate
Life Expectancy at Birth
Percent Low Birth Weight
Percent of Births to Unmarried Mothers
Percent of Live Births to Mothers Who Smoked During Pregnancy
Percent of Preterm Live Births
Percent Very Low Birth Weight
Sex Ratio at Birth
Teen Birth Rate
Total Fertility Rate
Mortality Measures- Age-Adjusted Death Rate (Direct Method)
Age-Specific Death Rate
Cause-Specific Death Rate
Crude Death Rate
Fetal Mortality Rate
Infant Mortality Rate
Maternal Mortality Rate
Mortality Sex Ratio
Neonatal Mortality Rate
Postneonatal Mortality Rate
Perinatal Mortality Rate
Pregnancy-Related Mortality Rate
Premature Death Rate
Standardized Mortality Ratio (Indirect Age-Adjusted Death Rate)
Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL)
Common Vital Statistics Terms – Appropriate use and understanding of vital statistics measures requires awareness of the basic concepts and terms commonly used with these statistics. NAPHSIS has developed definitions for these common terms that provide the appropriate background and reference for all types of users.
ICD Codes
Leading Causes of Death
Occurrence
Race and Ethnicity
Residence
Underlying Cause of Death
Variations in Vital Statistics Used by Public Health Programs
(a) Comparison of NCHS ICD-10, SEER ICD-O-3 and Hospitalization Labels and Codes for Major Cancer Sites
(b) Comparison of NCHS Codes, CDC Injuries Classification and Hospitalizations Classification for Types of Injuries
(c) Comparison of EPHT and NCHS Codes and Definitions for Selected EPHT Indicators
NAPHSIS would like to thank the Statistical Measures Committee members for their contribution to the development of this web-site. This resource was developed under the support of the CDC Assessment Initiative Program, grant number 5U38HK000003-02. Information on these measures and definitions is being made available here for the benefit of the public health professionals. For questions on this material, please contact Sukhjeet S. Ahuja MD, MPH, NAPHSIS Director, Health Statistics.
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