Data Sources:

• Ohio Department of Health, Data Warehouse
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics (death rates for U.S.)

For more information about sources

Definitions:

• Age-adjusted death rate: The age-adjusted death rate is a weighted average of age-specific death rates per 100,000 population. They are the average annual rates calculated over a 3-year period. The weight for each age category is the proportion of people in the age category in a standard population based on Census 2000.
• CLRD: Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease (CLRD) includes a range of lung disorders, including bronchitis, emphysema, asthma, and other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Explanations and Caveats:

• The Ohio Department of Health uses the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, which is a coding of diseases and signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or diseases, as classified by the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Annual fluctuations in state and county levels combined with relatively small populations can make these data highly variable. The use of several years' data is preferable to conclusions based on single years alone. Hence the Ohio Department of Health started using 3-year averages for death rates in 2000.

Update Status:
August 2011