DEMOGRAPHYY VITAL STATISTICS EPIDEMIOLOGY

Essential Questions b What is it? b Why is it important to public health practice? b What essential information does it supply -- i.e., how does it function relative to public health practice? b Who uses this information and for what purposes? b What problems of information reliability and validity are encountered?

PRINCIPAL APPLICATIONS OF STATISTICS IN PUBLIC HEASLTH b Population estimation and forecasting b Surveys of population characteristics b Analysis of health trends b Epidemiological research b Program evaluation b Program planning b Budget preparation and justification b Operational and administrative decision-making b Health education

DEMOGRAPHY b Demography is one branch of the interdisciplinary study of human populations b Demography deals with the social characteristics of populations and their development through time b Demographic data may include the following: Analysis of a population on the basis of age,natality, race or ethnicity, marital status, occupation, level of education, income and poverty, housing, urban or rural residence, population density... Etc.Analysis of a population on the basis of age,natality, race or ethnicity, marital status, occupation, level of education, income and poverty, housing, urban or rural residence, population density... Etc. Changes in population as a result of births, marriages and deathsChanges in population as a result of births, marriages and deaths

DEMOGRAPHY Statistics on migration and their effects, and their relation to economic conditionsStatistics on migration and their effects, and their relation to economic conditions Statistics of crime, illegitimacy and suicideStatistics of crime, illegitimacy and suicide b Demographic information serves as the data base for many calculations of vital statistics -- i.e., relating the numbers of various kinds of vital events that occur over a time period to the size of the affected population

Information Gleaned from Demographic Studies b Size of population b Age distribution b Sex/Gender distribution b Income levels b Education levels b Occupation b Race/Ethnicity b Residence

Who Uses Demographic Information? b Health departments (all levels0 b Housing offices b Businesses (especially employers considering location) b School systems (all types) b Transportation planners b Housing planners/developers b Hospitals (re. location of health facilities)

DEMOGRAPHIC COMPARISONS -- PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES Resident Pop. Allegheny Bucks Lackawanna ,450, , , ,336, , , (July) 1,309, , ,689 % Change ( )

DEMOGRAPHIC COMPARISONS -- PENNSYLVANIA COUNTIES Median Fam. Inc. Allegheny Bucks Lackawanna 1980 $21,643 $24,402 $17, $35,338 $48,851 $31,474 % Change ( ) % Age 65 & Older

DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS b Several important demographic trends will continue to affect health care in the U.S. Five such trends are: Slowing population growthSlowing population growth Increasing diversity of the populationIncreasing diversity of the population Changes in family structureChanges in family structure Persistent inequalities in access to health servicesPersistent inequalities in access to health services Variability in health insurance coverageVariability in health insurance coverage

HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE b Percent of persons under age 65 without health insurance = 16.1% (1996) b Number of persons under age 65 without health insurance = 38.9 million (1996) b Percent of children under age 18 without health insurance = 13.5% b Business establishments with fewer than 50 employees offered health insurance to 42% of workers, compared to 94% of workers in business establishments with 50 or more employees

DEMOGRAPHY OF AGING b Average age of the U.S. population rose from 23 years to 33 years between b Average age of the U.S. population is expected to climb to 39 years by 2035 b Between , the oldest age group in the U.S. (persons age 85 and older) is projected to triple in size from 3 million to 9 million b When today’s college students are in their 70’s, they will represent over one-third of the U.S. population over 25 years of age

DEMOGRAPHY OF ADOLESCENCE b Proportion of adolescents in most Western nations, including the U.S., is on the decline relative to the general population b In the United States: In 1980, year olds made up 17% of the populationIn 1980, year olds made up 17% of the population In 1990, year olds made up 14% of the populatinIn 1990, year olds made up 14% of the populatin b There has been a recent increase in numbers of children less than 5 years of age, resulting from the 1980s “baby boomlet.” As a result, the percentage of younger adolescents rose again during the 1990s

DEMOGRAPHY OF ADOLESCENCE b Although whites comprise the largest proportion of adolescents in the U.S., their overall percentage fell relative to Hispanic, African-American and Native American adolescents since 1980 b Numbers of Asian and Pacific Islander adolescents in the U.S. more than doubled between b Recent high school dropout rates was 12.6% for all adolescents, 121.4% for whites, 13.8% for African- Americans, and 33% for Hispanics