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This chapter provides an overview of the history of health statistics, starting with the pioneering work of Graunt in London in the 17th century on the Bills of Mortality. It discusses the role of the census of population in various countries in the development of population-based statistics, followed by a description of early mortality statistics in the United States. It was not until the 19th century and the work of William Farr, however, that the intellectual basis of modern health statistics was laid. The chapter details Farr's contributions to the systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of mortality and other data by the General Registrar Office in England, and his contributions to pubic health-based reforms through the application of health statistics to pressing social and health problems of his day. The chapter concludes with an account of the creation of the U.S. National Health Survey in 1956 and its influence on contemporary health statistics.

This chapter analyses the correlates of child nutritional status in rural India in an attempt to understand which drivers may be used as entry points to policy intervention. Using children’s standardized weights as a measure of their nutritional status, the analysis uses a health production function framework, in which child nutritional status is postulated as a function of food intakes—as measured by the frequency at which various foods were consumed in the previous week—and various individual-, parental-, household-, and village-level socio-economic factors. The analysis is based on unit record data on 16,755 pre-school rural children in the 1998–9 National Family Health Survey (NFHS). A unique feature of the estimation method is an explicit accounting of sequential fixed effects at the parent, household, and village levels. The chapter suggests that household incomes positively impact the nutritional status of children. However, the authors argue that there is no single solution to the problem of child undernutrition—what is required is a set of complementary strategies.

Age-related changes in physical health and cognitive functions can negatively affect quality of life as well as increase caregiver burden and societal healthcare costs. While aging services technologies (ASTs) have the potential to facilitate functional independence, they have been underutilized in the aging population due to various factors, including awareness and access. ASTs were defined in the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as “health technology that meets the health-care needs of seniors, individuals with disabilities, and the caregivers of such seniors and individuals” (Public Law 111-5). For the purpose of this chapter, tools or devices not discussed in the context of older adult use are referred to as assistive technologies (ATs). Both ATs and ASTs span a spectrum from low-tech to high-tech devices. Low-tech devices are often simple, easy to operate, and economical. Magnifying glasses, pill boxes, daily planners, and canes are all considered low-tech devices. In contrast, high-tech devices are computerized, often require additional training to learn and to operate, and are more costly. Computers, tablets, smartphone software or assistive apps, wearable sensors, and smart homes are some examples of high-tech tools. An assortment of ASTs are available to address both physical changes (e.g., changes in vision or mobility) and cognitive limitations (e.g., memory decline). The devices can be used to address issues that arise from normal aging as well as symptoms associated with neurological disorders, including memory, motor, and autoimmune disorders (Cattaneo, de Nuzzo, Fascia, Macalli, Pisoni, Cardini, 2002; Constantinescu, Leonard, Deeley, & Kurlan, 2007; Padilla, 2011). In a randomized controlled study, Mann and colleagues (1999) recruited older adults who were in need of ASTs (e.g., receiving in-home services, participating in a hospital rehabilitation program) and assigned them to usual standard of care or treatment. Participants in the treatment group received an 18-month intervention that included ongoing functional assessment as well as recommendations for ASTs and home modifications.