Answer:
A general measure of population health is useful for comparing the health status of a population over time, or between populations at a single point in time. It permits comparisons of health systems and programmes, and may highlight populations in need of particular attention from health services.1
The infant mortality rate (IMR), defined as the number of deaths in children under 1 year of age per 1000 live births in the same year, has in the past been regarded as a highly sensitive (proxy) measure of population health.2 This reflects the apparent association between the causes of infant mortality and other factors that are likely to influence the health status of whole populations such as their economic development, general living conditions, social well being, rates of illness, and the quality of the environment.