Demographic Characteristics

Demographics

Demographics is defined as numerical data about a population and the groups in it. Public Health professionals look at demographic data to see if a particular part of a population is at greater risk of a certain condition than the rest. Demographics can also be used to show how diseases and the risk factors for those diseases can change over time and from one place to another.

The demographic characteristics most useful for public health reports include:

• Age, because some conditions are more likely to occur in children or the elderly
• Sex, because some conditions are more likely to occur in males or in females
• Race, because the risk of certain conditions may be different for different racial groups
• Ethnicity, because the risk of certain conditions may be different for different ethnic groups

Tracking these characteristics allows us to:

• Better understand the differences in risk factors and health between different demographic groups
• Understand how health policies affect or do not affect the health of Kentucky's populations
• Make informed decisions about which demographic groups need the most resources for public health response

Data on Kentucky's populations can be found in data collected by the United States Census Bureau. These databases provide number on Kentucky counties, cities, and zip codes. No individual information is included in the Census Bureau databases.

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