This section includes summary health measures that are used internationally to monitor population health status.
The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) section includes:
- Life expectancy which is estimated from death rates and expressed as years of life remaining from a specific age—typically at birth or at age 65.
- Health adjusted life years (HALYs) which extend the concept of life expectancy to the expected years of life lived in full health.
- Self-rated health—one of the most frequently used measures in health and social research.
- Results from the Healthy Days HRQoL instrument.
Burden of disease is a leading summary health measure that uses a complex analytical method that combines the effects of morbidity and mortality into a single metric. It measures health burden in terms of the years of life lost due to death (fatal burden) or disability (disability burden). It is calculated using a range of inputs such as life expectancy, number and causes of death, age at death, prevalence of diseases and risk factors, conceptual models of disease progression and comorbidity adjustments, risk factor exposure minimum risk estimates, risk factor disease attributable fractions and life table and population estimates. The evidence-base contributing to these inputs is constantly updated.
Mortality measures are also commonly used to monitor population health and are in the Mortality section.