title: Do rates need standardizing for comparative purposes?
abstract: The practice of standardizing rates for comparative purposes is re-examined. Standardization is seen as the comparison of summary statistics. It is suggested that it is sometimes more relevant to summarize comparisons. A possible descriptive procedure is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001699:Biometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012847:Single Person