Trend Analysis and Interpretation: Key Concepts and Methods for Maternal and Child Health Professionals.

摘要

Trend data provide a dynamic rather than a fixed view of the health status of the MCH population and of the services and systems that can have an impact on that health status. For trend data to be most useful, it is critical that an analysis be conceptually tied to program and policy issues. The job of the analyst, therefore, is to present graphs, tables, statistical results, and narrative that make these connections. In particular, the ability to appropriately analyze and interpret trends for small geographic areas or for small populations is essential if program intervention strategies are to be more targeted and thus more effective.