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Why does proportionate mortality fail to qualify as a mortality rate?
AIts numerator counts deaths from one cause only
BIts numerator and denominator span different years
CIts denominator is all deaths, not the population
DIts denominator counts live births, not deaths
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Its denominator is all deaths, not the population
1. A mortality rate divides deaths by the size of the population in which those deaths occurred.
2. Proportionate mortality divides deaths from one cause by deaths from all causes, so the denominator is a count of deaths.
3. Because the population never enters the calculation, the result is a proportion rather than a rate.
4. A cause-specific numerator is normal for cause-specific mortality rates too, so that alone is not what disqualifies the measure.
5. Both parts of the fraction cover the same period, and live births belong to infant and maternal mortality measures instead.
_Source: CDC Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice (3rd ed., US federal, public domain), Lesson 3 "Measures of Risk", section Definition of proportionate mortality_
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