
Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Area compatibility factor
Introduction
Overview
In survival analysis, the area compatibility factor, F, is used in indirect standardisation of population mortality rates.
- <math>F = \frac{\sum_x {}^sE_{x,t}^c {}^sm_{x,t}}{\sum_x {}^sE_{x,t}^c} \left/
\frac{\sum_xE_{x,t}^c {}^sm_{x,t}}{\sum_x E_{x,t}^c}\right.</math>
where:
- <math>{}^sE_{x,t}^c</math> is the standardised central exposed to risk from age x to x + t for the standard population,
- <math>E_{x,t}^c</math> is the central exposed to risk from age x to x + t for the population under study and
- <math>{}^sm_{x,t}</math> is the mortality rate in the standard population for ages x to x + t.
F is then multiplied by the crude mortality rate to arrive at the indirectly standardised mortality rate.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
