About the Atlas of Basic Indicators, 1995-1996
The collection and analysis of information related to health conditions, are essential for programming activities in the health sector of the countries. The Pan American Health Organization collaborates with the Member Countries to strengthen their Health Information Systems and to disseminate the resulting information as part of its constitutional responsibilities.
This Atlas contributes to knowledge of the health and wellbeing of the peoples of the Americas. It should stimulate use of the information as a powerful instrument of change.
This Atlas is based on a selection data from "Basic Indicators of the Health Situation in the Americas, 1995" document, first published in that year, which contains various important public health events in the Region.
The collection of more than 50 indicators has been classified into four categorie, demographic, socioeconomic, mortality and morbidity and health resources, access and coverage, from the countries and territories of the Region. An important criteria for the selection of the indicators was the availability of information from the majority of the countries of the Region of the Americas.
The Special Program on Health Analysis (SHA), is responsible for the preparation of this material. Information was provided by other technical programs of the Organization, the PAHO Country Representatives, as well as other international agencies.
For more information contact: Special Program on Health Analysis, SHA, Pan American Health Organization, 525 Twenty-third Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
Additional information on the Contents
In addition to notes on the definition and sources for each indicator, to facilitate the interpretation of data, this page also contains a synthesis of information on the Data sources and a set of Explanatory notes for further clarification of the meanings of some indicators.
The indicators presented in these tables were prepared by the PAHO Division of Health and Human Development, Health Situation Analysis Program of PAHO, using the following sources:
1. Pan American Health Organization. Health Conditions in the Americas. 1977-1980, 1981-1984, 1990, and 1994 Editions. Washington, DC: PAHO; (Scientific Publication No. 427, 500, 524, and 549 respectively).
2. Pan American Health Organization. Health Statistics from the Americas, 1991, 1992 and 1995 Editions. Washington, DC: PAHO; (Scientific Publication No.537, 542 and 556 respectifully).
3. Pan American Health Organization. Health for All and Primary Health Care in the Region of the Americas. Monitoring Report on the Strategies, 1994. Washington, DC: PAHO; 1994. (CSP24/21).
4. Reports of the PAHO Divisions and Programs and the PAHO Representatives. 1994, 1995.
5. United Nations.World Population Prospects: The 1994 Revision. New York: UN; 1994. (Total population; crude birth rate; crude death rate; average annual rate of population growth; total fertility rate; percent urban population; dependency ratio; life expectancy at birth).
6. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Social Panorama in Latin America:1994, Preliminary Overview of the Economy of Latin America and the Caribbean and Statistical Yearbook for the Latin America and the Caribbean, 1995. Santiago, Chile: ECLAC; 1994, 1995. (Annual GDP growth rate; percent of population in poverty; ratio highest 20% income/lowest 20% income); daily availability of calories per capita/day).
7. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. World Education Report, 1993. Paris: UNESCO. 1993. (Literacy rate).
8. The World Bank. Social Indicators of Development. Washington, DC: World Bank, 1996. (GNP per capita. (PPP) US$).
9. U.S. Departament of Commerce. World Population Profile, 1994. Washington, DC. Bureau of the Census; 1994. (Using contraceptive methods).
10. United Nations Children's Fund. The State of the World's Children 1995. New York: UNICEF. 1995. (Percent of use of contraceptive methods, women, all methods, around 1990). PAHO/HDP/sha/95.03
Remarks concerning certain indicators:
Total fertility rate: The average number of children born alive to a woman during her reproductive years, according to prevailing fertility rates for each age group.
Rate of dependency: The number of people who would be formally dependent (children under 15 years and persons 65 years and older), in relation to the number of people who would formally occupy a productive position (age group between 15 and 64 years).
Highest 20%/income/lowest 20% income ratio: The ratio of the income of the 20% of households with the highest income to that of the 20% of households with the lowest income.
Percentage of registered deaths from acute diarrheal disease (ADD) and acute respiratory infections (ARI) in children under 5 years: The registered deaths from each of these groups of causes for children under 5 years of age as a proportion of total registered deaths from defined causes in this age group.
Age-adjusted mortality rate from communicable diseases, malignant neoplasms, diseases of the circulatory system, and external causes, by sex: the reference population for adjustment by age has been the world standard population by sex referenced by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the World Health Statistics Annual, 1992.
Infant mortality rates and mortality in children under 5: The values for 1980-1985 to infant mortality rates to the subregional values were calculated on the basis of World Population Prospects: The 1994 Revision; the remaining values for 1994 are PAHO estimates.
General Observations: The sum of the values in the tables does not necessarily add up to the total, due to rounding.