The gross national health product: a proposed population health index

A population health status index designated as the gross national health product (GNHP) is proposed as a general measure of the health of nations or population groups. The GNHP integrates mortality and disability data into a single number in units of disability-free life years lived per 100,000 population. It is based primarily on mortality ratios and life expectancies of component age groups of the population, modified by their respective disability experiences. A computational example with data currently available on U.S. geographic regions from publications of the National Center for Health Statistics shows that the GNHP was highest in the West, indicating the highest number of disability-free years lived. Because of simplicity in its computation and interpretation, the GNHP can be used by health systems agencies (HSAs) in monitoring their performance or in conducting comparative studies.