Mortality rate measures

• A. Incidence of new disease cases
• B. Deaths in a population during a defined period
• C. Prevalence of a chronic illness
• D. Years of potential life lost due to premature death

Answer: (B)

Mortality rate is a measure of deaths in a population over a defined period, usually expressed per a standard population size (for example, deaths per 100,000 people per year). This makes it the best choice because it directly quantifies how many people are dying in that population during the specified time frame. By contrast, incidence refers to new cases of a disease, not deaths; prevalence counts all existing cases of a condition at a point or over a period; and years of potential life lost focuses on the amount of life lost due to premature death rather than the raw rate of death itself.