Among the following, the indicator regarded as the most sensitive single index of the socioeconomic development and quality of life of a community is:

• A Number of hospital beds per 1000 population
• B Gross National Product per capita
• C Adult literacy rate
• D Infant Mortality Rate ✓

Explanation

The Infant Mortality Rate is considered the most sensitive index of socioeconomic development because it responds quickly and visibly to improvements in sanitation, nutrition, maternal education, housing and access to health care, whereas income figures and bed numbers may rise without any real gain in community welfare. Literacy improves slowly and lags behind actual living conditions. Because infants are the most vulnerable segment of a population, any deterioration in living standards is reflected earliest in the IMR.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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