| OCR Text |
Show Morbidity Indicators Several of the consensus indicators report incidence rates of morbidity as opposed to death rates. "Incidence rates" are defined as the number of new cases within a specified period of time, usually one year. Incidence rates are used to assess how well community services and preventive measures limit the spread of communicable diseases. The primary methods used to control these communicable diseases include screening programs, immunizations, health education, control of water and air pollution, and other protections of environmental quality. Several of the morbidity indicators include incidence charts for specific age groups for a ten-year period. These illustrate the importance of targeting specific age groups particularly at risk, such as preschool and school age children and the elderly. "Prevalence rates" also are frequently used to measure disease conditions in a population, but have not been reported in this section. (Prevalence of risk factors are included in the Risk Factor section of the Review). Prevalence rates measure the total number of existing cases at a given point in time or over a specified period. Thus, they are helpful in measuring the overall health of a population at a point in time, while incidence rates are helpful in measuring changes and in assessing the control of communicable diseases. Sources for this section are found on pp. 116-119. Utah's Health: An Annual Review 1996 69 |
