Demographics is defined as numerical data about a population and the groups in it. Public Health professionals look at demographic data to see if a particular part of a population is at greater risk of a certain condition than the rest. Demographics can also be used to show how diseases and the risk factors for those diseases can change over time and from one place to another.
The demographic characteristics most useful for public health reports include:
- Age, because some conditions are more likely to occur in children or the elderly
- Sex, because some conditions are more likely to occur in males or in females
- Race, because the risk of certain conditions may be different for different racial groups
- Ethnicity, because the risk of certain conditions may be different for different ethnic groups
Tracking these characteristics allows us to:
- Better understand the differences in risk factors and health between different demographic groups
- Understand how health policies affect or do not affect the health of Kentucky's populations
- Make informed decisions about which demographic groups need the most resources for public health response
Data on Kentucky's populations can be found in data collected by the United States Census Bureau. These databases provide numbers on Kentucky counties, cities, and zip codes. No individual information is included in the Census Bureau databases.
Description
Demographics are the classifiable characteristics of a given population. Demographic characteristics most commonly used in public health statistics include:
- Age
- Gender
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Geographic Area
Other demographic characteristics include:
- Disability status
- Educational attainment level
- Employment status
- Income level
- Marital status
- Natality (native- or foreign-born)
- Veteran status
Why it's important?
Analysis of public health data by demographic characteristics is essential to the reduction and elimination of health disparities. The
Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act of 2000 describe health disparities as differences in "the overall rate of disease incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, or survival rates in the population as compared to the health status of the general population." The definition can be applied to any demographic group, not just racial/ethnic minorities. Analysis by demographic characteristics also shows at what age certain diseases and conditions typically affect persons as well as how life events, choices, and circumstances (e.g., marriage, military service, and educational attainment) affect health outcomes.
What is known?
Certain demographic groups have consistently better outcomes than others on a variety of public health issues. For example, infant mortality among whites is a fraction of that among blacks and the death rate due to unintentional injury among women is about half that of men.