Measures of mortality
Mortality is defined as the demographic occasion of death. Since death is a natural
phenomenon that happens only once to every person, the examination is less complex than,
say, the study of fertility wherein the event of birth can happen with varying frequencies
among ladies (Microsoft word, 2020).
Mortality analysis begins with good quality data on deaths and population. These
information are traditionally acquired from vital registration systems and population censuses
Respectively. The crude death rate and the specific date rates (age, sex, age-sex, age sex-
cause for death specific) are basic proportions of mortality. Different measures are based on
the existence tables (K Hill, 2006).
Measures of mortality
The crude death rate is determined by defining the quantity of registered death in a year by
the mid-year population for same year. The rate is expressed as per 1,000 population
Crude death rate = T o t a l n u m b er o f d e at h s
¿ 1000
t o t a l m id− y e a r p o p u l a t io n
This rate has a simple interpretation, for it gives the number of deaths that occur, on the
average, per 1,000 people in the community. Further, it is relatively easy to figure, requiring
just the complete population size and the total number of deaths. Besides, it is a probability
rate in the true sense of the term. It represents an estimate of the chance of dying for a person
belonging to the given population, because the whole population may be supposed to be
exposed to the risk of dying of something or the other notwithstanding, it has additionally
some genuine disadvantages. In utilizing the CDR, we overlook the way that the chance of
dying is not similar for the youthful and the old or for the males and females, and the fact that
it may also vary with respect to race, occupation or locality of dwelling.
Specific Death Rate
The crude death rates for specific causes of death are calculated in a similar way by selecting
deaths due to specific cause for example a certain illness like cancer as the numerator and
mid-year population as the denominator.
Thus, cause – specific death rate ¿ t o t a l n u m ber o f d eat h d u e t o pa r t i cu l a r cau se
t o t a l mi d− y ea r po pu la t i on
The rates could be made specific to sex by selecting the numerator and the denominator for
each sex of the population.
Age Specific Death Rates
The age-specific death rates are calculated from the number of deaths and population both
specific to each age (or to a particular age group) of the population.
Thus, Age Specific Death Rates = n Dx ¿ 1000
nP X
Where 'x' indicates the age and 'n' the class interval of age. The age-cause-specific death rates
are obtained by selecting deaths in specific age and cause group of the population as the
numerator it should be noted that the sum of the cause-specific rates over all causes equals
the crude death rate. Similarly, the sum of the age-cause-specific death rates equals the age-
specific death rate at a given age.
Infant Mortality Rate The infant mortality rate too, is an alternative to, and in a sense an
improvement upon, the age-specific death rate for age 0, upon the death rate for infants that is
children under 1 year of age
Infant Mortality Rate = 1,000 ¿ D0
B
Where D0 = number of deaths among children of age 0, 1.b. (last birth day) and B = number
of live births.
Maternal Mortality Rate
Maternal Mortality Rate may be looked upon as an alternative to, or a refined version of the
corresponding cause-of-death rate. This rate is defined by the formula
P
Maternal Mortality Rate = 1000 ¿ D
B'
Number of deaths from puerperal causes occurring within 42 days of delivery among the
female population aged 15-49 in the given period in the given community.
References
K Hill, S. E. (2006). measures of mortality. measures of mortality.
Microsoft word. (2020, April 3). Microsoft word. Retrieved from mortality and it measures:
https://www.lkouniv.ac.in/s
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