What Are Vital Statistics?

Vital statistics refer to the data collected concerning the progression of human life, from birth through death. This data is often used to calculate population related data for municipalities, states, nations or regions of the world. Vital statistics are also collected on an individual level, in which case they are often used to gauge the well-being of the person for whom the data has been collected.

Identification

• Vital statistics refer to data collected concerning birth, death, marital status and general health, including diseases and medical conditions. Vital statistics may be gathered for individuals or for certain designated groups of people, or types of information.

Aggregate Vital Statistics

• Aggregate vital statistics are gathered in order to gauge certain elements of a particular population. One example would be average life expectancy for a given group; another would be comparable marriage ages of men and women. Other vital statistics refer to mortality rates for infectious and other diseases. Aggregate vital statistics are often collected to compare relative well-being among various elements of the population, for instance, birth rates for particular ethnic groups.

Individual Vital Statistics

• Individual vital statistics are often collected in relationship to medical care. For instance, blood pressure and body temperature are routinely collected for most medical office visits regardless of the purpose for the visit. When a person is receiving medical care, collecting vital statistics, such as heart rate and medical history, have an essential role in monitoring the effectiveness of the treatment or medical procedure.

Other Uses for Vital Statistics

• Vital statistics are also often used to shape public and health related policy. For example, vital statistics can be used to demonstrate whether there is a disparity between the quality of healthcare available to members of specific ethnic groups or socioeconomic classes. Vital statistics can also illustrate areas for which education should be emphasized, for instance, to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases among especially vulnerable populations.

Privacy and Access

• Vital statistics are often concerned with sensitive and personal data. On the aggregate level, much care is taken to maintain the anonymity of individual data subjects by removing or masking any personally identifiable characteristics from individual records. On the individual level, confidentiality regulations are often very strict and are sometimes protected by law, as for medical records.