Avoidable mortality (deaths per 100 000 population): tuberculosis, diabetes, appendicitis
The standardized death rate (SDR) for causes of death considered as “avoidable”
(diseases for which medical knowledge is sufficiently advanced to prevent almost all deaths in more resilient age groups) that represents what the crude rate would have been if the population had the same age distribution as the standard European population.
Source: HOLLAND, W.W.European Community atlas of “avoidable death”,2nd ed.
Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1991.
GDP per person (PPP$)
Gross domestic product per capita, expressed in purchasing power parity (PPP), adjusted to the relative domestic purchasing power of the national currency as compared to the US dollar, rather than using the official exchange rate. Multipliers (PPPs) are estimated periodically, using the cost of the standard basket of goods.
Measures the total output of goods and services for final use occurring within the domestic territory of a given country, regardless of the allocation to domestic and foreign claims.
Source: Health for all database, WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Health expenditure: total per head of population
The sum of public and private expenditure (in PPP US$) divided by the population. Health expenditure includes the provision of health services (preventive and curative), family planning activities, nutrition activities and emergency aid designed for health, but does not include provision of water and sanitation.
Source: UNITEDNATIONSDEVELOPMENTPROGRAMME.Human development report 2001. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 253.
Health expenditure: public as a percentage of total
Recurrent and capital spending from government (central and local) budgets, external borrowings and grants (including donations from international agencies and nongovernmental organizations) and social (or compulsory) health insurance funds Together with private health expenditure, it makes up total health
expenditure.
Source: UNITEDNATIONSDEVELOPMENTPROGRAMME.Human development report 2001. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 252–253.
Health personnel per 100 000 population: physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses
Qualified and authorized personnel for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, care of the sick and rehabilitation.
Source: Health for all database, WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Healthy life expectancy (HALE) SeeAnnex 1.
Income inequality (Gini index)
Measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or consumption) among individuals or households within a country deviates from a perfectly equal
distribution. A value of 0 represents perfect equality, a value of 100 perfect inequality.
Source: UNITEDNATIONSDEVELOPMENTPROGRAMME.Human development report 2001. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 252–253.
Income poverty line (50% of median income)
The percentage of the population living below the specified poverty line: 50% of median income, 50% of the median disposable household income.
Source: UNITEDNATIONSDEVELOPMENTPROGRAMME.Human development report 2001. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 253.
Income poverty line (percentage of population < US $4/day)
The percentage of the population living below the specified poverty line: US $4 per day at 1990 international prices, adjusted for purchasing power parity.
Source: UNITEDNATIONSDEVELOPMENTPROGRAMME.Human development report 2001. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 253.
Mid-year estimated population
Estimate of resident (de jure) population on 1 July of a given calendar year, calculated as an average of end-year estimates.
Source: Health for all database, WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Perinatal mortality per 1000 live births
Weight-specific (≥1000 g) fetal deaths and early neonatal deaths (under seven days) per 1000 births (live births + stillbirths).
Source: Health for all database, WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Probability of dying before 5 years
Number of deaths per 1000 live births until 5 year of age.
Source: Health for all database, WHO Regional Office for Europe.
School life expectancy (years)
The total numbers of years of schooling that a child of a certain age can expect to receive in the future, assuming that the probability of his or her being enrolled in school at any particular age is equal to the current enrolment ratio for that age.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (http://www.uis.unesco.org/en/stats/stats0.htm, accessed 29 May 2002).
Total health expenditure (percentage of GDP)
Includes: household health expenses; government supplied health services (prisons, schools, etc.); investment in clinics, laboratories, etc; administration costs; research and development; occupational medicine; outlays of voluntary and benevolent institutions.
Source: Health for all database, WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Unemployment rate (%)
The proportion of registered unemployed persons, out of the total labour force, on average per year. The “unemployed” comprise all persons above a specified age who, during the reference period, were “without work”, “currently available for work” or “seeking work”.
Source: Health for all database, WHO Regional Office for Europe.
WHO Regional Publications, Governments and policy-makers are increasingly aware that access to knowledge enables better policy-making practice. The policy-makers of the various Member States are also more and more aware that they face common challenges and can learn useful lessons from across national boundaries that shed light on their own specific national situation.
The challenge for the Regional Office is to build on the existing data and experience, to facilitate the sharing of this experience and, ultimately, to make those data and indicators practically comparable across the countries.
The European health report responds to the statutory requirement to provide the Member States with essential public health information. It provides a broad but concise picture of the health status and health determinants in the Region, and identifies areas for public health action for the Member States and the European public health community. The report focuses on concrete evidence useful for decision-makers in public health. Its role is to summarize and feed back to Member States the information created, deposited and “accredited” during the Regional Office’s work with Member States on key topics and issues in public health in Europe, in the context of the values and principles of WHO as “one Organization”.
The measure of success of this publication will be its appreciation and use by Member States in their endeavour to improve their own health policies and systems.
ISBN 92 890 1365 6
THE EUROPEAN HEALTH REPORT 2002
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