Which statement best describes the relationship between PMR and population risk?

• A. PMR directly measures population risk for dying from a specific cause.
• B. PMR measures incidence risk.
• C. PMR reflects the proportion of deaths due to a cause among all deaths, not the population risk.
• D. PMR equals case fatality rate.

Answer: (C)

PMR tells you the share of all deaths in a population that are due to a specific cause. It shows the distribution of death causes, not how likely people in the population are to die from that cause. Because the denominator is total deaths, not the number at risk or the population size, PMR does not measure population risk or incidence. It can also be affected by changes in deaths from other causes and by the population’s age structure. So the best description is that PMR reflects the proportion of deaths due to a cause among all deaths, not the population risk.