[Consideration of a potential death risk in the methodology of assessing the population's health].

It has been shown that when calculating the summarized population's health index and the significance (weight) of partial signs, it is expedient to use the calculation from the potential death risk index rather than an expert judgment. The results of calculation examples using morbidity and mortality rates suggest that public health can be assessed on this methodic ground. It is advisable to apply the proposed method for assessing the population's health during sanitary-and-epidemiological surveillance (sociohygienic monitoring) when decisions are taken on the lines of health-promotion measures to reduce morbidity and mortality mainly by circulatory diseases, neoplasms, injuries, and intoxications.