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Office of Women's Health > Publications > Women Count in Indiana > Glossary & Indicator Definitions Glossary & Indicator Definitions

Age-adjustment (direct method): The population is first divided into reasonable homogeneous age ranges, and the age-specific rate is calculated for each age range. Then, each age-specific rate is weighted by multiplying it by the proportion of the standard population in the respective age group. The age-adjusted rate is the sum of the weighted age-specific rates.

Body Mass Index (BMI): weight (in kilograms) / height (in meters) squared

BRFSS: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), self-reported data from random telephone interviews, annually since 1984 (www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/brfss)

General Fertility Rate (GFR): The number of births per 1,000 women age 15-44 in a year

Low Birth Weight (LBW): less than 2,500 grams (5 lbs. 8 oz.)

Normal Weight: Body Mass Index (BMI) of < 25.0

Obese: Body Mass Index (BMI) of ³ 30.0

Overweight: Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25.0<30.0

SEER: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program, National Cancer Institute

Total Fertility Rate (TFR): The number of births that 1,000 women would have if the current year’s age-specific birth rate remained constant throughout their childbearing years.

Unstable Rate (u): indicates “less than 20 cases,” so rate is unstable and should be used with caution

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