Health statistics serve diverse needs:
- Individuals use health statistics to understand their own risks, conditions, and health status in a broader context.
- Researchers and physicians use them to study the causes and solutions of health problems.
- Health resource planners use them to understand the allocation of health resources.
- Policy makers and the public use them to monitor progress.
- Legislators consult them when enacting laws, conducting program oversight, and considering appropriations.
Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine (2012). Finding and using health statistics. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nichsr/usestats/index.htm.
