What Is an Example of an Indicator for General Health?

September 24, 2025 •

3 min read

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health indicators are measurable characteristics that describe the health of a population. So, what is an example of an indicator that demonstrates overall health trends and challenges within a community?

Quick Summary

An example of a health indicator is the infant mortality rate, which reflects the current health status of a population, maternal health, and access to quality primary care. Other crucial indicators include life expectancy, obesity rates, and the prevalence of specific diseases, all providing a snapshot of community wellness.

Key Points

Infant Mortality: A key health indicator is infant mortality rate, which reflects the health of a population, maternal care, and access to primary care.
Life Expectancy: Life expectancy at birth is another major indicator, showing the average years a newborn is expected to live based on current mortality rates.
Diverse Metrics: Health indicators extend beyond simple stats to include risk factors (e.g., smoking rates), healthcare system performance (e.g., immunization rates), and social determinants (e.g., childhood poverty).
Informing Policy: Health indicators inform public health actions, helping to identify pressing issues, set goals, and evaluate the success of interventions over time.
Revealing Disparities: Disaggregating data from health indicators by race, ethnicity, or other factors can reveal critical health disparities within a population.
Beyond Clinical Data: Indicators based on social determinants, such as housing and food security, highlight the crucial non-medical factors that influence health outcomes.

Understanding Health Indicators

Health indicators are statistical measures used to assess the overall health of a population or specific subgroups. They track trends over time, identify public health priorities, and evaluate health interventions. Indicators are not the health outcomes themselves, but observable variables that signal change.

Life Expectancy as a Foundational Indicator

Life expectancy at birth is a widely used health indicator, representing the average years a newborn is expected to live based on current mortality rates. High life expectancy often reflects good healthcare access, disease prevention, and stable socioeconomic conditions, while a decline can signal emerging health crises. Organizations like the WHO use life expectancy to compare national health statuses.

Specific Examples Across Different Categories

Indicators offer diverse insights into population health and fall into several categories:

Health Status Indicators

These measure the actual health of a population, such as:

General Mortality Rate: Tracks deaths in a population over time.
Disease Incidence and Prevalence: Measures new cases (incidence) or existing cases (prevalence) of specific diseases.
Maternal Mortality Ratio: The number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, indicating reproductive healthcare quality.

Risk Factor Indicators

These focus on behaviors and environmental exposures that can harm health:

Smoking Rate: Percentage of adults who smoke.
Obesity Rate: Proportion of the population that is obese.
Exposure to Unhealthy Air: Percentage of people in areas with poor air quality.

Healthcare System Indicators

This category measures the effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of health services:

Immunization Coverage: Percentage of the population vaccinated.
Healthcare Coverage: Proportion of the population with health insurance.
Screening Rates: Percentage of adults receiving recommended screenings.

The Importance of Health Indicators in Context

No single indicator tells the complete story. Analyzing data broken down by factors like race or socioeconomic status can reveal health disparities. This disaggregated data helps target public health efforts to vulnerable populations.

A Comparison of Common Health Indicators


Indicator Type	Example Metric	What It Indicates	Data Limitations
Health Status	Life Expectancy	Overall population health and quality of life.	Can mask significant health disparities within a population.
Risk Factor	Adult Obesity Rate	Risk for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.	Does not account for genetic or other non-behavioral factors.
Healthcare System	Immunization Rate	Success of preventative health programs and access to services.	Does not measure the quality of the healthcare received, only its use.
Social Determinant	Childhood Poverty	Impact of socioeconomic factors on early-life health outcomes.	Can be influenced by a wide array of interconnected social issues.

The Role of Social Determinants of Health

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are non-medical factors influencing health outcomes, such as education, income, and housing. Indicators like household food insecurity signal nutritional deficiencies and health risks. Tracking SDOH helps address the root causes of poor health. For more information, visit the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion website for resources on social determinants of health. Find reliable SDOH resources.

Conclusion

Health indicators, ranging from life expectancy and obesity rates to social factors like childhood poverty, are crucial for understanding and improving population health. By analyzing a variety of these metrics, policymakers and health professionals can develop data-driven strategies to address health challenges and build healthier communities.

Frequently Asked Questions

A health indicator is a measurable variable that provides insight into health trends or program performance, while a health outcome is the direct result or end state, such as recovery from an illness or a change in life expectancy.

Public health officials use indicators to identify and address public health issues, allocate resources, develop targeted health interventions, track progress toward goals, and compare health status across different populations or regions.

While individual health metrics like blood sugar levels or BMI are personal indicators, when aggregated across a large population, they become valuable public health indicators. For example, a rising obesity rate across a country can signal a broader public health challenge.

Behavioral indicators include metrics related to personal choices that impact health, such as rates of alcohol consumption, physical activity levels among adults, and current tobacco use.

The infant mortality rate is considered a powerful indicator because it is sensitive to the overall living conditions, socioeconomic factors, quality of maternal health, and effectiveness of early healthcare services within a community.

Access to healthcare can be measured by indicators such as the percentage of the population with health insurance or the number of people who receive recommended preventative screenings. These metrics signal potential barriers to care that can impact overall population health.

Yes, environmental factors can be indicators. Examples include the proportion of a population exposed to unhealthy air quality or the safety of drinking water sources, as these can directly affect respiratory health, disease rates, and overall well-being.