Health Statistics (main)

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Health Statistics


Image: CDC

Health Statistics provide defensible, credible information, assessments and interpretations designed to identify and characterize human health problems, and to guide actions and policies to improve human health.

Statistics is a sub-discipline of applied mathematics that focuses on collection and interpretation of quantitative data. It uses probability theory to estimate an ever-increasing number of such population parameters as incidences of disease, or the success of interventions. Significantly, health statistics is not only a resource for defensible health information, it is a central basis for public health and health policy (for such stakeholders as individuals as well as governmental and private sector organizations).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, health statistics allows:

  • documenting the health status of populations and of important subgroups;
  • identifying disparities in health status and use of health care by race or ethnicity, socioeconomic status, region, and other population-based characteristics;
  • describing experiences with health care systems;
  • monitoring trends in health status and health care delivery;
  • identifying health problems;
  • supporting biomedical and health services research;
  • providing information for making changes in public policies and programs; and
  • evaluating the impacts of health policies and programs.


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Recently Updated
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Mercury-Caution Small ehp.118-a198.g001.png.jpeg Evaluating low-dose effects of environmental chemicals Last Updated on 2013-09-14 23:41:18 This Editorial, written by Linda S. Birnbaum*, appeared first in Environmental Health Perspectives—the peer-reviewed, open access journal of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The article is a verbatim version of the original and is not available for edits or additions by Encyclopedia of Earth editors or authors. Companion articles on the same topic that are editable may exist within the Encyclopedia of Earth. Environmental Chemicals: Evaluating Low-Dose Effects Around the world, large-scale biomonitoring programs have provided extensive information about human exposure to a large number of environmental chemicals (Barr et al. 2010; Bilau et al. 2008; Churchill et al. 2001; Woodruff et al. 2011). As these programs extend to look at vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, fetuses, and the elderly, our knowledge of the widespread distribution of... More »
AirPollution AutoDischarge 2.jpg Freeway proximity and autism? Last Updated on 2013-09-14 23:34:22 This study examined the association between autism and proximity of residence to freeways and major roadways during pregnancy and near the time of delivery, as a surrogate for air pollution exposure. This research article, written by Heather E. Volk, Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Lora Delwiche, Fred Lurmann, and Rob McConnell* appeared first in Environmental Health Perspectives—the peer-reviewed, open access journal of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The article is a verbatim version of the original and is not available for edits or additions by Encyclopedia of Earth editors or authors. Companion articles on the same topic that are editable may exist within the Encyclopedia of Earth. Residential Proximity to Freeways and Autism in the CHARGE Study Background: Little is known about environmental causes and contributing factors for autism. Basic science and... More »
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