A call for standardised age-disaggregated health data

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Informatics
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals mandate age-disaggregated health data.
• Current age groupings lack standardization, hindering data harmonization and cross-country comparability.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgent need for standardized age categories for epidemiological analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a standardized set of age groupings for health data.
• To address the variability in age categorization that impedes data analysis.
• To facilitate targeted, age-specific health policies and interventions.

Main Methods:

• Reviewing age-specific patterns of morbidity, mortality, and health risks.
• Considering opportunities for prevention and disease intervention across age groups.
• Proposing a recommended set of age groupings based on biological and epidemiological relevance.

Main Results:

• A recommendation for 5-year age groupings for most health data.
• A recommendation for finer age disaggregation for individuals younger than 5 years.
• Identification of challenges in collecting exact age data in health facilities and surveillance.

Conclusions:

• Standardized age groupings will enhance the comparability and utility of global health data.
• The proposed age disaggregation supports the development of targeted, age-specific health policies.
• Improved data standardization is essential for effective global health management and response.