Measuring, Monitoring, and Evaluating the Health of a Population

Public health depends on information derived from monitoring population health status to identify community health problems, and to diagnose and investigate health problems and hazards in the community. These depend on vital statistics and disease reporting systems, including for non-communicable diseases, injuries, risk factors, health care resources, utilization of resources, and special disease registries such as for cancer, birth defects, and many others. Information technology and computerization allow data systems to be linked to assess the impact of health conditions and utilization of services providing vital information for epidemiological and economic analyses for policy development. Epidemiology and its associated quantitative disciplines of biostatistics and demography are augmented by social and behavioral qualitative research methods. The disciplines of health systems research provide evidence from population health monitoring crucial to policy and priority determination. This introductory chapter is augmented in subsequent chapters, and by specialized courses in public health education programs.