Standard measure for determining the impact of a health condition on a population?

Which of the following is the standard measure for determining the impact of a health condition on a population?
A. Disability-adjusted life years
B. Infant mortality
C. Life expectancy
D. Standardized mortality ratio
E. Years of life lost

Answer:
A. Disability-adjusted life years

Discussion: Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) is the standard measure for determining global burden of disease by the World Health Organization. This measure takes into account both absolute years of life lost because of disease (premature death) as well as productive years lost because of disability. DALYs is believed to more accurately reflect the true effects of disease within a population because individuals who become disabled cannot contribute fully to society.

Life expectancy, years of life lost because of disease, standardized mortality ratios, and infant mortality do provide important information about the general health of a population but do not capture the true burden of disease.