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Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    ​Tools of the Trade

    There are four main categories of reports: Statistical Measurements, Data Analysis, Charts and Graphs, and Data Collection/Processing. Click on the title of the report listed below to view it.

    Statistical Measurements:

    Definitions of Rates Used in Public Health Assessment(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Median of a Frequency Distribution(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    "Reported" Pregnancy Statistics(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    General Fertility Rate and Total Fertility Rate(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Concepts of Some Common Birth Statistics Clarified(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Common Ratios(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Age-Adjusted Rates
    Standardized Mortality Ratio
    Premature Mortality Rate(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Average Length of Stay in Hospitals(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Occupancy Rates in Health Facilities(opens in a new tab) (PDF)

    Data Analysis:

    Reliability of Rates(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Standard Error: The Statistician's Hedge(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Sex Ratios for Analyzing Mortality Data(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Confidence Intervals for a Crude Rate(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Confidence Intervals for an Age-Adjusted Rate(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Confidence Interval and Significance Test for a Standardized Ratio(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Comparing Crude Rates or Ratios - Part 1: Dependent Rates(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Comparing Crude Rates or Ratios - Part 2: Independent Rates(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Comparing Age-Adjusted Rates(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Adjusted vs. Specific Rates(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Computing Synthetic Estimates for Local Health Data(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Measuring Premature Mortality Using Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL)(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Sample Estimates Compared Using Confidence Intervals(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    The Notion of Risk(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Exploring Risk Relationships Using the Chi-Square Statistic - Part 1: Crude Risk, Significance and Confidence Limits(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Exploring Risk Relationships Using the Chi-Square Statistic - Part 2: Statistical Control of Risk Factors Using Stratification(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Cancer Trend Analysis Using Joinpoint Regression - Part 1: The Basics(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Cancer Trend Analysis Using Joinpoint Regression - Part 2: Application and Use(opens in a new tab) (PDF)

    Charts and Graphs:

    Bar Charts(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Line Charts(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Pie Charts and Pictographs(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Population Pyramids(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Arithmetic vs. Logarithmic Line Charts(opens in a new tab) (PDF)

    Data Collection and Processing:

    Why Survey?(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Types of Surveys(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Entire Population and Sample Size Surveys(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Probability Sampling(opens in a new tab) (PDF)
    Strategy for Determining Sample Size(opens in a new tab) (PDF)