How to use health statistics materials

Statistical data such as demographic statistics are useful for understanding the characteristics and problems of the region.
How should I use and evaluate the numerical values of statistical materials? Here, I would like to point out the viewpoints and points to note when using statistical data.

If the purpose is clear, you can formulate a policy on what statistical data should be collected and how to evaluate it.

Do you see it in a city unit, in a ward unit, or in a more detailed area unit? Please determine the unit of evaluation that matches the purpose of using statistical data.

The average life expectancy is longer for women than men, and the higher the gross mortality rate. As you can see, statistics often differ in trends depending on gender and age.
Commonly used deaths and births can be obtained from demographic statistics.

The greater the local population, the more people may get sick. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the impact of population differences on statistical figures.
Regarding the population, the census population and the estimated population (the census population is obtained by adding or subtracting birth, death, transfer, etc.) are often used.

Government statistics materials such as demographic statistics can also be downloaded from the web page. (Collection of links for obtaining statistical data)

（１） Use real numbers

Is it best to use health indicators such as "gross mortality rate" and "age adjustment mortality rate" to evaluate statistical data?
Health indicators look good, and indicators that take into account the effects of population and age, have the advantages of making comparisons between regions and annually.

However, can it be said that there is no problem in the area just because the value of health indicators is low?

For example, suppose that in City A with a population of 1 million and City B with a population of 100,000, the number of suicides was 200 in Ward A and 50 in Ward B. In this case, the "gross mortality rate (per 100,000 population)" of suicide is 50.0 in ward B in ward A. In ward A, the frequency of suicide is lower than ward B, but the number of suicides is higher. Isn't it a problem that the number of suicides itself is large in District A?

First of all, it is important to carefully evaluate the numerical values of statistical data itself, depending on the way of thinking of the user who uses statistics, such as "How much is the problem?"

Real numbers can be evaluated by gender and age group, or by looking at aging. It's also a good idea to create a graph to make it visually understandable.

（２） Use health indicators

There are a lot of health indicators. Rather than seeking as many health indicators as you can come up with, extracting two or three indicators according to the purpose is less labor and easier to evaluate.

In order to select the best health indicators, it is important to understand their characteristics (pros and cons).

Some health statistical data have been published in advance for health indicators, such as special reports on demographic statistics and life tables by municipality. There are difficulties such as taking a long time to be released, but it is also a good idea to use these materials to evaluate them.
（Get existing health indicators）

When using existing health indicators, it is necessary to check which statistical data figures are used to determine what formula was used. This is because when looking at aging or comparing between regions, it cannot be compared honestly unless it is a health index that uses the same way of seeking.

When seeking health indicators for low-frequent events or using statistical data in areas with a small population, it is necessary to consider accidental errors in numerical values.

The method of reducing accidental errors may be statistical methods, but generally the method of averaging numerical values for multiple years is used.

When using statistical data created based on questionnaire surveys, such as the National Life Basic Survey and the National Census, it is necessary to consider system errors.

This is because the answer may be distorted depending on the content of the question, such as the presence or absence of marriage and occupation. In addition, the number of deaths, births, and census populations of frequently used demographic statistics can be considered to have almost no systematic errors.

The health indicators you have obtained can be used by gender and age groups, by secular change, or by comparison with other regions. It is also a good idea to make it visually easy to understand by graphing or color coding of maps.

Let's consider the method of evaluation according to the characteristics of the index.