Abbreviated Name:
Mortality from household and ambient air pollution
Indicator Name:
Mortality attributable to joint effects of household and ambient air pollution
Domain:
Health status
Related Terms:
Mortality by cause
Definition:
The burden of disease attributable to joint effects of household and ambient air pollution can be expressed as: death rate (both crude and age-standardized). Death rates are calculated by dividing the number of deaths by the total population. Age-standardized rates adjust for differences in population age distribution by applying the observed age-specific mortality rates for each population to a standard population. The age-standardized rates can therefore be used to compare the rates of countries without being affected by the differences in age distribution from country to country. Evidence from epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to air pollution is linked, among others, to the important diseases taken into account in this estimate: 1) Lower respiratory infections in general population; 2) Stroke in adults (25 years and over); 3) Ischaemic heart diseases in adults (25 years and over); 4) Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases in adults (25 years and over); and 5) Trachea, bronchus and lung cancers in adults (25 years and over).
Measurment Method:
The mortality attributable to the joint effects of household and ambient air pollution can be expressed as number of deaths or death rates. Death rates are calculated by dividing the number of deaths by the total population (or indicated if a different population group is used, e.g. children under 5 years).
Numerator:
Total number of deaths attributed to household and ambient air pollution
Denominator
Total population
Estimation method:
Burden of disease is calculated by first combining information on the increased (or relative) risk of a disease resulting from exposure, with information on how widespread the exposure is in the population (in this case, the annual mean concentration of particulate matter to which the population is exposed). This allows calculation of the 'population attributable fraction' (PAF), which is the fraction of disease seen in a given population that can be attributed to the exposure, in this case the annual mean concentration of particulate matter. Applying this fraction to the total burden of disease (e.g. cardiopulmonary disease expressed as deaths), gives the total number of deaths or that results from ambient air pollution.
Disaggregation:
By age, sex, location (urban/rural, major regions/provinces), and socio-economic characteristics (e.g., education, wealth quintile).
Primary data sources:
Civil registration with complete coverage and medical certification of cause of death; Special studies
Alternate data sources:
Sample Registration Systems and Verbal Autopsy
Measurment frequency:
Annual or ever 5 yrs
