Vital statistics

Definition
Vital records may be defined as those concerned with live births,
deaths, fetal deaths, (stillbirths), marriages, divorces, adoptions,
legitimations, annulments, and separations, in short all the events
which have to do with an individual's entrance into or departure from
life, together with the changes in civil status which may occur to him
during his lifetime. It follows that vital statistics are those statistics
which, for a designated population group, provide a description of the
number and characteristics of the vital events which are taking place
therein.
In brief ,Vital statistics are conventionally numerical
records of marriage , birth , sickness and death by which
the health and growth of community may be studied.

It is a branch of biometry that deals with data and law of

human mortality , morbidity and demography.
Purpose of vital statistics
1)Community Health: To describe the level of community health, to
diagnose community illness & to discover solutions to health
problems.
2) Administrative purpose: It provides clues for administrative
action to create administrative standards of health activities.
3) Health programmed organization: To determine success or failure
of specific health programmed or undertake overall evaluation of
public health work.
4) Legislation purpose: To promote health legislation at local,
state,& national level.
5) Government Purpose: To develop, policies, procedure at state and
central level.
Uses of vital statistics
1)To evaluate the impact of various National Health
Programs.
2) To plan for better future measures of disease control.
3)To explain the hereditary nature of the disease.
4)To plan and evaluate economic and social
development.
5) It is a primary tool in research activities.
6)To determine the health status of individual.
7) To compare the health status of individual one nation
with others.
  Sources of Vital Statistics
1)Civil Registration System:
It is defined as the continuous permanent and compulsory
recording of the occurrence of vital events like live births,
deaths, fetal deaths, marriages, divorces, as well as annulments,
judicial separation, adoption. Civil registration is performed
under a law and regulation so as to provide legal basis to the
records and certificate made from system.

2) National Sample Survey:

The data collected from the census are not very reliable and
available only once in 10 years. In absence of reliable data from
the civil registration system(SRS), the need for reliable statistics
at national and state levels is being met through sample surveys
launched from time to time.
3)Sample Registration System:
In this system, there is continuous enumeration of births and deaths
in a sample of villages/urban blocks by a resident part time
enumerator and then an independent six monthly retrospective
survey by a full time supervisor.

4) Health Surveys:
A few important sources for demographic data have emerged. These
are National Family Health Surveys(NFHS) and the District Levels
Household Surveys(DLHS) conducted for evaluation of reproductive
and child health programs. NFHS provide estimates of fertility, child
mortality and a no. of fertility, child mortality and a no. of health
parameters relating to infants and children at state level. The DLHS
provide information at the district level on a no. of indicators relating
to child health, reproductive health problems and quality of services
availability to them.
 MORTALITY RATES
CRUDE RATES
The general formula for a crude rate irrespective of the vital event to
which it refers is as follows:
Crude rate =
(Number of vital events which occurred among the population of a
given geographic area during a given period ) x 1000
(Mid period total population of the given geographic area during
the same period.)

the crude rate must be defined in terms of "character of the event",

"area" and "time period".

A) Crude Death Rate (CDR)

= Total death in a given year x 1000

Average or mid year pop. of a year

B)Age-specific Death rate (ASDR)

= Nos. of death at age ’a’ X 1000

Mid-yrs pop. of a given year at age ’a’

NOTE :Crude rate is based on total population while a specific rate is

based on the basis of age, sex, cause etc.

 C) Infant Mortality rate (IMR)

= Nos. of infant death in a year X1000

Nos. of live birth in the year

D) Neonatal Mortality Rate

= Death under one months X 1000

Nos. of live birth
E) Post-neonates Mortality Rate

= Death between 1st and 11 complete months x 1000

Nos. of live birth

F) Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) =

nos. of death of mother due to the cause related to maternity x 1000

Total nos. of live birth
 FERTILITY RATES
Measures of Fertility
 Crude Birth Rate (CBR)
 General Fertility Rate (GFR)
 Age Specific Fertility Rate (ASFR)
 Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
 Gross Reproduction Rate (GRR)
 Net Reproduction Rate (NRR)
1)Crude Birth Rate (CBR)
Ratio of the total number of live birth to the average population ever
lived during a given year and geographical area.

Crude Birth rate = B/P× 1000

Where B = Total No. of live births in a given year & area.
P= Mid year population of the year
Merits
Requires minimum data on fertility and Easy to interpret
Demerits
 Cannot be used to compare the levels of fertility for any two
populations because they may differ widely in their age-sex
composition.
 It is not a fertility rate as it includes all the population either
exposed or not exposed to the risk of child bearing.
2)General Fertility Rate (GFR):

Defined as the number of births per year per thousand mid-year

woman population of the child bearing ages.

GFR = B/W 15-49 × 1000

Where W 15-49 = total number of women of child bearing age 15-49 at

the mid point of the year in a given geographical area.

Advantages:
 It includes the female population in their reproductive ages who are
supposed to be exposed to the risk of giving birth.
 Generally used in population projection using component projection
method.
3)Age Specific Fertility Rate (ASFR) :

Age pattern of child bearing in any population is the best revealed by

computing age specific fertility rates.
It is the number of births per year per women in a given age group in
a given year and geographical area.

ASFR(nfx) = nBx/ nWx

Where nBx = No. of Births to the women of ages x to x + n yrs in a

given yr and area.
nWx = No. of women aged x and x + n years at mid- year in a given
year and area.
n is usually taken as 5 years.
4)Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

Number of children which a women of hypothetical cohort would

bear during her lifetime if she were to bear children through out her
life at the age-specific fertility rates for given year and if none of
them dies before crossing the age of reproduction.

TFR = ∑fx for single year ASFR.

TFR = 5 × ∑ 5fx for 5year ASFR.
For x = 15, 20, 25.……
In this case n=5
5)Gross Reproduction Rate (GRR):
(Measure of population replacement)

Indicates the number of daughters of a hypothetical cohort of women

by the end of the reproductive life if she bears the births according to
a given schedule of age-specific fertility rates ( taking only female
births)without experiencing any mortality till the end of reproductive
life .
GRR= 5 ∑ 5Bf x / 5Wx

B x = no. of female births to women aged x to x + 5

5

Limitation of GRR: It dose not consider the mortality of the cohort

of women.
6)Net Reproduction Rate (NRR):

NRR is GRR adjusted for mortality schedule of cohort of women.

Number of daughter that would be born to a cohort of women during
their lifetime if they experience a fixed scheduled of ASFR and ASMR

therefore, NRR = 5 ∑ n Bx/ 5Wx × 5fΠx

Where 5fΠx = survival rate

= Mean size of the cohort of women of age x to x+5

Initial size of the cohort