To calculate the number of deaths among school-age children in a county, which method should a community health nurse use?

The age-specific mortality rate is the most appropriate method to calculate the number of deaths among school-age children in a county because it focuses specifically on a defined age group, allowing for a more accurate and relevant analysis of mortality within that population. This method provides valuable insight into the mortality risk that is specific to school-age children, rather than providing an overall mortality rate that includes all age groups, which would dilute the specific data needed to assess health outcomes in this demographic.

The age-specific mortality rate is calculated by dividing the number of deaths in that specific age group by the total population of that age group, often multiplied by a factor (such as 1,000 or 100,000) to express the number per population unit. This approach facilitates targeted public health interventions and resource allocation, tailored to the unique needs of school-age children.

In contrast, crude mortality rates aggregate data across all age groups, which doesn't reflect the specific risk of death among school-age children. Lifetime risk assessment is focused on estimating the likelihood of an event occurring over a person’s lifetime, which does not directly address the current mortality rate in a specific age group. The standardized mortality ratio is useful for comparing mortality rates between populations but is not suitable for calculating the number of deaths among a