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A statistical method allowing comparisons of populations that takes into account age-distribution differences between populations. Most incidence and death data in SEER are age-adjusted, although some tables, in contrast, present the crude rate. Age-adjusting takes the 2000 US population distribution and applies it to other time periods under consideration. This assures that such rates do not reflect any changes in the population age distribution. Rates can be adjusted for the distribution of other characteristics such as race/ethnicity.
Most data in SEER have been age-adjusted to the 2000 US standard population. This allows comparison across racial groups taking into account differences in age structure of the populations. For example, the average age of many Hispanic/Latino populations is less than that of other racial/ethnic groups. Therefore, it sometimes appears that these groups have lower cancer incidence rates than other groups. However, by adjusting for age, more accurate comparisons can be made. See Calculating Age-adjusted Rates for further information.
- Browse Related Terms: Age-Adjusted Rate, Age-Specific Rate, Crude Probability of Death, Crude Rate, Death Rate, Fast Stats, Life Tables, mortality, relative survival rate, standard error, Standard Million Population, Standard Population, Surveillance Data (Cancer), Survival, Cause-specific, Survival, Net, Survival, Observed, Survival, Period, Survival, Relative