Vital statistics provide information on births, deaths, diseases, marriages and divorces in a community. They are used to assess community health, develop public health policies and programs, and conduct demographic research. Collecting accurate vital statistics requires a robust registration system to record vital events as they occur, as well as census data and health surveys to estimate rates when registration is incomplete. Community health nurses play an important role by collecting, analyzing and reporting local vital statistics data.

1. VITAL STATASTICS

2. INTRODUCTION
Vital statistics include births, deaths, fetal deaths, marriages,
divorces, separation and are considered primarily from the point
of view of physical, mental and social wellbeing of the total
community and of the individual. With the mortality rates
declining to very low levels, the health status of any community
cannot be judged by mere deaths statistics but should include
more of morbidity statistics. Health statistics include all such
statistics that provide estimates of health of the community and in
relation to the state of environment, social, economic, cultural and
demographic factors.

3. DEFINITION
Vital statistics are conventionally numerical records of marriage, births,
sickness and deaths by which the health and growth of a community may
be studied.
-B. Benjamin
Vital statistics is that branch of biometry which deals with data and laws of
human mortality, morbidity, and demography
-Arthur Newsholme

4. PURPOSES OF VITAL STATISTICS
1) Community Health:
To describe the level of community health, to diagnose community illness & to discover solutions to
health problems.
2) Administrative purpose:
It provides clues for administrative action to create administrative standards of health activities.
3) Health programmed organization:
To determine success or failure of specific health programmed or undertake overall evaluation of
public health work.
4) Legislation purpose:
To promote health legislation at local, state, and national level.
5) Government Purpose:
To develop, policies, procedure at state and central level.

5. Methods of obtaining vital statistics
There are various methods for obtaining vital statistics. There is
registration method, census enumeration, and analytical method, as
discussed below:

6. 1. Registration method:
It can be defined as the compulsory recording of occurrence and
characteristics of vital events; primarily these are used as legal
documents and secondarily these are used as a source of statistics.
Continuous permanent recording of vital event can be done
properly by the use of legislation, which makes registration
compulsory

7. 2. Census enumeration:
Census recording is done after every 10 years in most of the
countries. A census can be defined as an enumeration at a specified
time of individual's inhabiting a specified area, during which
particulars are collected regarding age, sex, marital status,
occupation, religion, etc.

8. 3. Analytical method (estimation of vital rates using census
data):
This is a mathematical method based on the analysis of two
consecutive censuses of population.

9. Measures of Vital Statistics
The measures of vital statistics may be classified in following three
broad categories
MEASURES OF FERTILITY
The various measures of fertility are crude birth rate, specific
fertility rate, general fertility rate, and total fertility rate, as
discussed below.

10. 1. Crude birth rate:
It is the simplest method of measuring fertility. It acts as an index of
the relative speed at which additions are being made to the
population through childbirth.
Crude birth rate = Total number of live births during a year
Total population as of july 1 x 1000

11. 2. Specific fertility rate:
Specific fertility arises from the fact that fertility depends upon many
factors like age, marriage, etc. If we calculate the fertility rate on the
basis of age, it is called as age specific fertility rate (SFR)
SFR = Number of live births in a specific age group of females in a
given area in a 1 year /
Mid – year female population of the specified age group in the given
area in 1 year x1000

12. 3. General fertility rate (GFR):
It is defined as number of children born per 1000 females in a
childbearing or reproductive age group.
GFR = number of live births in a given area in a 1 year x 1000
Mid- year female population of the specified ages 18-49 in
that area

13. 4. Total fertility rate:
To calculate the total fertility rate (TFR) we need to measure specific
fertility rates and then add them. So, the total fertility rate is sum of age-
specific fertility rates from a given age to the last point of childbearing age
of a female.
We can calculate the specific fertility rate for group 'x' years and under
(x+5) as:-
SFR= Annual births to females aged x and under (x+5) x 1000
Mean number of females aged x and under (x+5)
Total fertility rate =∑ SFR x t
t = magnitude of the age

14. 5. Reproduction rates: The reproduction rates are of two types as
discussed below.
i) Gross reproduction rate (GRR): Gross reproduction rate assures
the rate at which newborn female would add to the total female
population, if they will be alive an experience the age-specific fertility
rate till the end of the childbearing period.
GRR = Number of female births x total fertility rate
Total number of births

15. ii) Net reproduction rate: Net reproduction rate considers both
fertility and mortality ra So, it can be calculated as multiplying
the female-specific fertility rate of each age by population of
female survivors to that age and adding up the products.
NRR= ∑ Number of female birth x survival rate
100


16. Major Organizations for collecting
statistics
 Central Statistical Organization (CSO)
 National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO)
 Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India
 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (National Health and
Family welfare Survey-NHFS)
 International Institute of Population Studies

17. Mechanism for the collection of vital statistics /
Source of Health Information:
It is by no means an easy task to set up a system that will ensure
accurate recording of numerical information for each vital event
occurring in a country, in each and every town, village, institution and
individual home. In many of the less developed countries a system of
this kind does not exist, and even where considerable advances have
been made, statistics services have expanded only after many years of
effort and improvements are still being affected.

18. 1. Census
The census is an important source of health information. It is taken
in most countries of the world at regular intervals, usually of 10
years. A census is defined by the United Nation as "the total process
of collecting, compiling and publishing demographic, economic and
Scale data pertaining at specified time, to all pers in a country or
delimited territory" census is massive undertaking to contact every
member of the population in a given time and collect variety of
information. It needs considerable organization a vast preparation
and several years to analyze the results.

19. 2. Registration of vital events
Registration of vital events checks on demographic changes. If
registration of vital events is complete and accurate, it can serve as
a reliable source of health information. Much importance is
therefore given to the registration of vital events in all countries.

20. 3. Sample registration system
Since civil registration is deficient in India, Sample Registration
System was initiated in the mid 1960s to provide reliable estimates of
birth and death rates at the National and State levels. The SRS is a
dual record system, consisting of continuous enumeration of births
and deaths by an enumerator and an independent survey every 6
months by an investigator-supervisor.

21. 4. Notification of disease
It is the first health information sub system, to be established. Its
purpose is to effect prevention and/or control of the disease. It is
also valuable source of morbidity data.

22. 5. Hospital record
In a country like India, where registration of vital events is
defective and notification of infectious diseases extremely
inadequate, hospital data constitute a basic & primary source of
information about diseases prevalent in the community.

23. Uses of vital statistics
Vital statistics is very much useful for the development of
nation, as major planning is dependent on these statistics.
These are important for an individual The uses are also
deal, for various agencies, for research purposes, and for
administration.

24. 1)Uses for individuals
Different types of records like births, deaths, marriages, and
divorce, etc are very much important to an individual. A birth
certificate is an important document in an individual's life, which
is used in different aspects of life and a basic certificate of proof
of citizenship of a county .Similarly, marriage certificate also
plays vital role in life of an individual

25. 2) Uses for operating agencies
Government agencies need records of birth, deaths, and
marriages to prepare various types of plan. These agencies
make various policies on the basis of these records.

26. 3) Uses in research
Vital statistics play a pivotal role in demographic research. It is
again helpful in making various plans and policies for the
well-being of the society

27. 4) Uses in public administration
Statistics and vital statistics play an important role in public
administration, which are basic methods underlying all official
programmes of economic and social development. Helps
administrators to plan and implement various policies related to
health, education, housing, transport and communication, supply
of goods required in daily life, etc.

28. 5) International uses of vital statistics
Vital statistics are used by international agencies to study the
population of a particular area. For example, WHO can use the vital
statistics of various countries to see the population variations in
terms of birth rate, death rate, or any other vital event.

29. Responsibilities of community health
nurse in Vital Statistics

30. As mentioned earlier in health information management, each
medical and nursing person has an important role to play in
health information system. Since a community health nurse is
responsible for community health of her area, she is also
responsible for health information and vital statistics. In short,
the responsibilities of community health nurse in vital statistics
are following:

31.  Collection of information regarding vital statistics in her area.
 Observing the information collected by nursing and health
workers under her and guiding them.
 Editing/classification of datas collected by nursing and health
workers under her and guide them.

32.  Attractive presentation of the data through tables,
diagrams, maps etc. according to need.
 Sending data of vital statistics to concerned official/
institutions.
 Analysing the data, making community diagnosis and
providing treatment.

33.  Spreading the importance of vital statistics in the com- munity,
creating awareness regarding registration..
 Having latest knowledge regarding data collection/
communication.
 Working efficiently as a link in health information management
system.

34.  Participation in health surveys.
 Making entries through online registration services
about patients coming to health centre, in
patients/outpatients register, (completion register and D
register (Disease Register).

35. Example of vital events
 The vital events include:
 Births
 Deaths
 Migrations
 Marriages
 Divorces
 Sickness etc