ABSTRACT
Health measurement strategy has had to compartmentalize or fragment aspects of health and has developed assessment protocols for physiologic and physical health problems, psychological or mental health problems, as well as for the social dysfunctioning attendent upon health problems. This chapter aims to compare strategies for indicators that measure the health of a population and those that are used for assessment or evaluation of health services delivery programs. In order to understand and plan how best to amielorate or control disease problems a system of data designed to measure the population's health status is required. Measurement of health has been primarily influenced by the activities and diagnostic classification of the medical care system. The infectious disease pattern characterizes socially and economically deprived areas in developed nations as well as developing societies lacking a preventive health focus. As the median age of the society increases the chronic degenerative diseases predominate over infectious diseases and acute non-lethal health problems.
