Below is my classmate’s response to the discussion which is below. In the answer my professor would like to have any advantages or disadvantages to using the data sources they selected. This discussion answer has to have a minimum of 50 words with one scholarly and/peer-reviewed reference and citation. Thank you.
Epidemiologist and public health officials rely on data at all times. With data, they are able to collect certain facts such observations, calculations, words, numbers, measurements and more. Epidemiologist uses large data to characterize an entire population; in doing so, they improve the ability to generalize observations (Friis & Sellers, 2014). With data, they are able to determine incidence, prevalence, and also measure mortality and morbidity (Friis & Sellers, 2014). Chapter 5 contains numerous data sources that could be linked to create an enriched data set for a specific public health purpose, but today we will focus on two data sources. Mortality statistics and Birth statistics can be linked to create an enriched data set for public health purpose.
According to the CDC, (2016), in 2014, there was a total of 2,626,418 deaths, which brought the death rate to 823.7 deaths per 100,000 population in the USA. Friis & Sellers, (2014) define mortality statistics as data that collects deaths that occur in the United States. Although there are mortality statistics in other developing countries, but mortality in the US never goes unrecorded. Mortality statistics create an enriched data by developing and evaluating health policies. In the united, deaths certificates are used to provide information about the deceased person, their age, name and how they died. The causes of any deaths are classified in parts I and II of death certificates. In part I, doctors describe the events that led to the death, and in part II, the doctors can report morbid conditions only of it contributed to the death (Piffaretti et al, 2016). Sometimes there are factors that can detract death certificate rate. a good example is when doctors hesitant to specify the actual cause of death for the patient to the general public, especially of that patient is long-time friend (Friis & Seller, 2014).
According to the CDC, (2015), 1n 2014, there was about 3,988,076 births, which brought the birth rate to 12.5 per 1,000 population in the USA. This can also enrich data se for a specific public health purpose because it helps epidemiologist and other public health officials calculate birth rates, birth weight and defects. For example a public health concern that is linked to birth data is birth defects. Public health officials use birth data to study birth defects in specific geographical area, and they are able to determine if the mother was exposed to either teratogens or pollution (Friis 7 Sellers, 2014).
