A comprehensive population health index based on mortality and disability data

Two versions of a new population health index based on the mortality and disability experiences of nations or communities are proposed for comparing their overal health status. One version is the ratio of the mean mortality rate of selected population groups to the mean disability free rate of survivors. The other version is a composite of these variables, transformed to stabilize their variances, that are so weighted as to maximize the probability of correctly differentiating ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ nations. Problems with application of the index are briefly discussed.