Health indicators are measurable characteristics that describe the health of a given population.

1. HEALTH INDICATORS
by
YIGA JAMES MULINDWA
`

2. Definition of terms
⚫ Indicator: WHO defines indicators as
‘’variables which measure change’
⚫ Health indicators: these are measurable
characteristics that describe the health of a
population or else
⚫ Is a characteristic of an individual,
population or environment which is subject
to measurement and can be used to
describe one or more aspect of health of an
individual or population.

3. Definition of terms
⚫Indicator: WHO defines indicators as
‘’variables which measure change’
⚫Health indicators: these are measurable
characteristics that describe the health of a
population or else
⚫Is a characteristic of an individual, population
or environment which is subject to
measurement and can be used to describe
one or more aspect of health of an individual
or population.

4. Mortality rate
Mortality Indicators

5. Mortality indicators cont’d
⚫ Crude death rate = Number of deaths in a
year at Mid-year population
⚫ The crude death rate, the total number of
deaths per year per 1,000 people.
⚫Expectation of life; An average of years that
will be lived by those born alive.
⚫Infant mortality rates; a ratio of deaths under
one year of age in a given year to the total
number of live births(/1000 live births)

6. Cont….
⚫Child mortality rate; Number of deaths under
5years in a given year per1000 children.
⚫Maternal mortality rates; Number of deaths
arising during pregnancy or per 1000 live births
⚫Disease specific death rate. Number of deaths
from a specified cause per 100,000 persons-
years at risk.

7. Morbidity indicators
The occurrence of disease is also an
indicator of health. The various morbidity
indicators are;
⚫Incidence rate
⚫Prevalence rate
⚫Notification rate
⚫Hospital attendance
⚫Admission and discharge rate

8. Morbidity indicators
Morbidity as a burden due to NCDs

9. Disability rates
These include days of restricted activity, bed
disability days and work loss days.(DALYs
and QALYs)

10. Nutritional status indicators
They are measurements of height,
weight and mid-arm circumference.

11. Health care delivery indicators
They are doctor - population ratio, doctor -
nurse ratio, population - bed ratio
Uganda Doctor: patient ratio= 1:25000 and
Nurse: patient=1:11000. WHO 1:1000

12. Environmental indicators
They include proportion of the population who
get safe water, and also indicators relating to
pollution of air, light and water.

13. Utilization rate
Percentage of people who need health
services and actually need it in a given
period of time for example
immunized infants against killer diseases
and pregnant mothers receiving antenatal
care, bed occupancy rate, length of
hospital stay, percentage of people using
family planning methods

14. Social and mental health indicators
These include: Suicides, homicides,
smoking, alcoholism and drug abuse, other
acts of violence

15. Utilization rate
Percentage of immunized children and
mothers, bed occupancy rate, length of
hospital stay, percentage of people using
family planning methods

16. Socio -Economic indicators
Rate of population increase, literacy rate,
family size, housing

17. Other Health Indicators
They are health policy indicators, social
indicators, basic needs indicators and
health for all indicators and Millennium
development Goal indicators.

18. Different health indicators at
community-level
⚫ Community-level indicators are measures that
refer to population groups rather than
individuals. These may show – what’s
happening at the community level, rather than
the individual level.
⚫ Substance abuse; this can be monitored by
tracking the sales of cigarettes in the
community, rather than by polling people to
find out how many cigarettes each person
smoked daily.

19. cont’d
⚫ Diet of community might be tracked by observing
what is on supermarket shelves, stalls and foods
grown by the local community and food security.
⚫ Social and mental health indicators
⚫ The distance to health facility
⚫ Percentage of community members working
outside the community
⚫ Un employment rate=unemployedx100
Labour force

20. cont’d.
⚫Population and fertility rate
⚫Local business in the community-local survey
required
⚫Standards of living e.g. housing, sanitation,
neighbourhood.
⚫Level of employment.
⚫Environmental indicators
⚫Health utilization rates

21. Health indicators at health facility level.
⚫Population bed ratio
⚫Doctor population ratio
⚫Population per dentist
⚫Population per nurse
⚫Population per health centre
⚫Skilled health workers
⚫ Infant mortality rates

22. Characteristics of health indicators
⚫ VALID-they should actually measure what
they are supposed to measure
⚫ RELIABLE-The answers should be the same
measured by different people in similar
circumstances
⚫ SENSITIVE-they should show variations in
different situations
⚫ SPECIFIC- they should reflect changes only
in the situation concerned

23. Characteristics of health indicators
cont’d
⚫ FEASIBLE-they should have the ability to
obtain data needed, it should have functions
attached to it which enable data collection.
⚫ RELEVANT-they should contribute to the
understanding of the phenomenon of
interests: meaning it can either support or
discard the hypothesis.

24. Uses of health indicators
⚫ Measurement of the health of a community
⚫ Description of health of a community
⚫ Comparison of health of different communities
⚫ Identification of health needs and prioritizing them
⚫ Concurrent evaluation and terminal evaluation of health services
⚫ Planning and allocation of health services
⚫ Measurement of the success of implemented programmes.
⚫ For grants

25. Use of health indicators cont’d.
⚫Public policy
⚫Research
⚫Partnerships

26. Users of health indicators
⚫Public health officers
⚫Public health workers
⚫Librarians
⚫Academics
⚫Government agencies
⚫Nonprofit organizations
⚫General public
⚫Anyone with an interest in local public health
data

27. Factors influencing health indicators
⚫ Health is multidimensional
⚫ Each dimension is influenced by numerous
factors e.g economical ,occupational,
cultural, educational, social and others