What is the definition of mortality?

Mortality refers specifically to the death rate within a given population, making it a crucial measure of health outcomes and risks associated with various factors. It is often quantified as the number of deaths during a specific time frame in relation to the total population, allowing researchers and public health officials to assess the overall health status of a community or population. Understanding mortality rates can help identify public health needs, evaluate the effectiveness of health interventions, and compare health outcomes across different populations or regions.

The other options, while related to health, do not accurately define mortality. Total health in a population encompasses a broader set of factors and outcomes than just death rates. Life expectancy speaks to how long, on average, individuals are expected to live, which is influenced by mortality but is not its definition. Descriptive health statistics might involve a range of health-related measures, including mortality among other indicators, but they do not provide a specific definition. Therefore, the term mortality is most accurately represented by the concept of death rate in a given population.