AHMS - Selecting health indicators in population health: Notes on choosing health indicators for a National Biomedical Risk Factor Survey

AHMS Working Paper Series No. 2

In recent years, there has been a great deal of interest in the development of a national indicator set to monitor and report on the state of the population's health. It is envisaged that this type of information will help to evaluate the effectiveness of various health services and public health programs and assist in planning new or targeted public health interventions. A biomedical risk factor survey, if repeated over time, could produce valuable indicators for inclusion in a national set. The purpose of this paper is to outline a broad framework for a population health indicator set in order to examine the place of a biomedical risk factor survey. A process for selecting indicators is also outlined.

The papers in the AHMS Working Paper Series were prepared by PHIDU staff as background material to the development of a national biomedical risk factor survey for Australia.