The expectation of life at birth for a population represents:

• A The average age at which adults in the population actually die
• B The average number of years a newborn would live if current age-specific mortality rates continue to apply throughout life ✓
• C The age to which half of the newborn cohort will survive
• D The median age of the living population

Explanation

Expectation of life at birth is derived from the life table and equals the average number of years a hypothetical cohort of newborns would survive if the prevailing age-specific mortality rates remained unchanged throughout their lives. It is a summary measure applying current rates to a hypothetical cohort, not a record of actual ages at death. Option C describes the median survival of a real or synthetic cohort, which is a different quantity.

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

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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