EMPIRICAL TESTING OF STANDARDS FOR THE AGE ADJUSTMENT OF DEATH RATES BY THE DIRCT METHOD

A series of tests was made to select a standard for the computation of age-adjusted rates by the direct method in planning mortality tabulations for the series of Vital & Health Statistics Monographs sponsored by the Amer Public Health Assoc. The issue was to ascertain how the 1940, 1950 & 1960 censuses of pop's as standards would (1) affect the comparative levels of the age-adjusted rates, & (2) affect comparisons of age-adjusted rates for the study of trends. Consideration was also given to typical variations in mortality curves with age for selected leading causes of death. Although the choice of standard affects the levels of the age-adjusted rates in considerable degree, the choice would not have much bearing on the relative mortality by sex & race or on the study of trends. AA.