Which of the following correctly identifies the difference between morbidity and mortality?

• A. Morbidity refers to the severity of a disease, while mortality refers to the number of people who die from it.
• B. Morbidity refers to the prevalence of a disease, while mortality describes the average lifespan affected by it.
• C. Morbidity describes the severity of a disease, while mortality refers to the average lifespan affected by it.
• D. Morbidity refers to the prevalence a disease, while mortality refers to the number of people who die from it.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the term 'morbidity' in sociology and public health. Morbidity refers to the presence or prevalence of a disease or health condition within a population. It indicates how widespread or common a disease is, not necessarily how severe it is.
2. Step 2: Understand the term 'mortality'. Mortality refers to the incidence of death within a population, specifically the number of deaths caused by a particular disease or condition over a certain period.
3. Step 3: Compare the two concepts. Morbidity focuses on how many people are affected by a disease (illness or health condition), while mortality focuses on how many people die from that disease.
4. Step 4: Evaluate the given options by matching the definitions. The correct distinction is that morbidity relates to disease prevalence, and mortality relates to death counts.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the statement 'Morbidity refers to the prevalence of a disease, while mortality refers to the number of people who die from it' correctly identifies the difference between morbidity and mortality.