Measurement Matters in Population Health: Approaches, Assumptions, and Applications

How many people died last year? What country has the best health system? Answering these questions involves myriad data decisions and value judgments, yet such information is usually presented as objective assessments. With this course, we will explore how health is measured at the population level and critically examine data challenges and assumptions that underpin common health metrics such as life expectancy, disease estimates, and health service indicators. Topics covered also include issues of data bias and representation, sociopolitical dimensions of population health measurement and target setting, and onward implications of what (and what does not) get measured.