Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (775 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Enumerations of populations usually recording identities of all persons in every place of residence with age or date of birth, sex, occupation, national origin, language, marital status, income, relation to head of household, information on the dwelling place, education, literacy, health-related data (e.g., permanent disability), etc. The census or numbering of the people is mentioned several times in the Old Testament. Among the Romans, censuses were intimately connected with the enumeration of troops before and after battle and probably a military necessity. (From Last, A Dictionary of Epidemiology, 3d ed; Garrison, An Introduction to the History of Medicine, 4th ed, p66, p119)
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Census; Census Methods; Census Method; Method, Census; Methods, Census; Microcensus.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Demography
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 4,190 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Censuses” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 754 of them (18.0%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 1,264 records.
Reviews account for 76 records (1.8%) and meta-analyses for 1. Randomized controlled trials number 6 (0.1%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 1,247 |
| 2000-2009 | 925 |
| 2010-2019 | 1,264 |
| 2020 onward | 754 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 76 | 1.8% |
| Meta-analyses | 1 | 0.0% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 6 | 0.1% |
Method: PubMed query "Censuses"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in public health and nutrition
Population and nutrition studies mostly observe what people eat, breathe or are exposed to and then look for links with health, which shows association and not proof of cause. Self-reported diet is imprecise, people who eat or live differently also differ in other ways, and effects measured across a population may not apply to one person. Check the study design, how exposure was measured, what else was accounted for and the size of the effect, not only whether it was statistically significant.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazilian Dialysis Census: analysis of data from the 2009-2018 decade | 2020 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 71 | cc by PMID 32459279 · DOI · PMC7427641 |
| The Relationship Between Social Vulnerability and COVID-19 Incidence Among Louisiana Census Tracts | 2020 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 63 | cc by PMID 33553098 · DOI · PMC7856141 |
| The use of census migration data to approximate human movement patterns across temporal scales | 2013 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 45 | cc by PMID 23326367 · DOI · PMC3541275 |
| Comparing Transgender Identities in the Census of Scotland and the Census of England and Wales | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 40973998 · DOI · PMC12793709 |
Brazilian Dialysis Census: analysis of data from the 2009-2018 decade [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- IntroductionNational data on chronic dialysis treatment are essential for the development of health policies that aim to improve patient treatment.
- Closing excerpt
- There has been a persistent increase in the use of venous catheters as an access for dialysis; and reduction in the number of patients with positive serology for hepatitis C.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (248 words)
IntroductionNational data on chronic dialysis treatment are essential for the development of health policies that aim to improve patient treatment.ObjectiveTo present data from the Brazilian Society of Nephrology on patients with chronic dialysis for kidney disease in July 2018, making a comparative analysis of the past 10 years.MethodsData collection from dialysis units, with filling in an online questionnaire for 2018. Data from 2009, 2013 and 2018 were compared.Results288 (36.6%) centers answered the questionnaire. In July 2018, the estimated total number of patients on dialysis was 133,464. Estimates of the prevalence and incidence rates of patients undergoing dialysis treatment per million of the population (pmp) were 640 and 204, respectively, with average annual increases of 23.5 pmp and 6 pmp for prevalence and incidence, respectively. The annual gross mortality rate was 19.5%. Of the prevalent patients, 92.3% were on hemodialysis and 7.7% on peritoneal dialysis, with 29,545 (22.1%) on the waiting list for transplantation. Median bicarbonate concentration in the hemodialysis bath was 32 mEq/L. Venous catheters were used as access in 23.6% of the hemodialysis patients. The prevalence rate of positive serology for hepatitis C showed a progressive reduction (3.2%).ConclusionThe absolute number of patients and rates of incidence and prevalence in dialysis in the country increased substantially in the period, although there are considerable differences in rates by state. There has been a persistent increase in the use of venous catheters as an access for dialysis; and reduction in the number of patients with positive serology for hepatitis C.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 32459279 · DOI · PMC7427641
The Relationship Between Social Vulnerability and COVID-19 Incidence Among Louisiana Census Tracts [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Objective: To examine the association between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and COVID-19 incidence among Louisiana census tracts.
- Closing excerpt
- Additional resources should be allocated to areas of increased social disadvantage to reduce the incidence of COVID-19 in vulnerable populations.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (165 words)
Objective: To examine the association between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and COVID-19 incidence among Louisiana census tracts. Methods: An ecological study comparing the CDC SVI and census tract-level COVID-19 case counts was conducted. Choropleth maps were used to identify census tracts with high levels of both social vulnerability and COVID-19 incidence. Negative binomial regression with random intercepts was used to compare the relationship between overall CDC SVI percentile and its four sub-themes and COVID-19 incidence, adjusting for population density. Results: In a crude stratified analysis, all four CDC SVI sub-themes were significantly associated with COVID-19 incidence. Census tracts with higher levels of social vulnerability were associated with higher COVID-19 incidence after adjusting for population density (adjusted RR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.41-1.65). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that increased social vulnerability is linked with COVID-19 incidence. Additional resources should be allocated to areas of increased social disadvantage to reduce the incidence of COVID-19 in vulnerable populations.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33553098 · DOI · PMC7856141
The use of census migration data to approximate human movement patterns across temporal scales [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Human movement plays a key role in economies and development, the delivery of services, and the spread of infectious diseases.
- Closing excerpt
- Significant relationships between census migration data and fine temporal scale movement patterns exist, and results suggest that census data can be used to approximate certain features of movement patterns across multiple temporal scales, extending the utility of census-derived migration data.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (255 words)
Human movement plays a key role in economies and development, the delivery of services, and the spread of infectious diseases. However, it remains poorly quantified partly because reliable data are often lacking, particularly for low-income countries. The most widely available are migration data from human population censuses, which provide valuable information on relatively long timescale relocations across countries, but do not capture the shorter-scale patterns, trips less than a year, that make up the bulk of human movement. Census-derived migration data may provide valuable proxies for shorter-term movements however, as substantial migration between regions can be indicative of well connected places exhibiting high levels of movement at finer time scales, but this has never been examined in detail. Here, an extensive mobile phone usage data set for Kenya was processed to extract movements between counties in 2009 on weekly, monthly, and annual time scales and compared to data on change in residence from the national census conducted during the same time period. We find that the relative ordering across Kenyan counties for incoming, outgoing and between-county movements shows strong correlations. Moreover, the distributions of trip durations from both sources of data are similar, and a spatial interaction model fit to the data reveals the relationships of different parameters over a range of movement time scales. Significant relationships between census migration data and fine temporal scale movement patterns exist, and results suggest that census data can be used to approximate certain features of movement patterns across multiple temporal scales, extending the utility of census-derived migration data.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 23326367 · DOI · PMC3541275
Comparing Transgender Identities in the Census of Scotland and the Census of England and Wales [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The most recent British census was the first to elicit transgender identity.
- Closing excerpt
- ' Comparison between the results provides further evidence that the Census of England and Wales overestimated the transgender population, and also raises the possibility that it undercounted the non-binary component of this population.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (107 words)
The most recent British census was the first to elicit transgender identity. The 2021 Census of England and Wales asked 'Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?'. It is has been argued that this formulation confused a substantial number of respondents who erroneously answered in the negative. The 2022 Census of Scotland asked a clearer question, 'Do you consider yourself to be trans, or have a trans history?' Comparison between the results provides further evidence that the Census of England and Wales overestimated the transgender population, and also raises the possibility that it undercounted the non-binary component of this population.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40973998 · DOI · PMC12793709
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Toward improved health: disaggregating Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander data [5]
- Research article Phylum Nematoda: a classification, catalogue and index of valid genera, with a census of valid species [6]
- Research article Race/ethnicity and the 2000 census: recommendations for African American and other black populations in the United States [7]
- Research article Paradigm lost: race, ethnicity, and the search for a new population taxonomy [8]
- Research article Criollo, mestizo, mulato, LatiNegro, indígena, white, or black? The US Hispanic/Latino population and multiple responses in the 2000 census [9]
- Research article Counting accountably: implications of the new approaches to classifying race/ethnicity in the 2000 census [10]
References
- Neves PDMM, Sesso RCC, Thomé FS, Lugon JR, Nasicmento MM. Brazilian Dialysis Census: analysis of data from the 2009-2018 decade. . 2020. PMID 32459279 · DOI · PMC7427641
- Biggs EN, Maloney PM, Rung AL, Peters ES, Robinson WT. The Relationship Between Social Vulnerability and COVID-19 Incidence Among Louisiana Census Tracts. . 2020. PMID 33553098 · DOI · PMC7856141
- Wesolowski A, Buckee CO, Pindolia DK, Eagle N, Smith DL, Garcia AJ, et al.. The use of census migration data to approximate human movement patterns across temporal scales. . 2013. PMID 23326367 · DOI · PMC3541275
- Biggs M. Comparing Transgender Identities in the Census of Scotland and the Census of England and Wales. . 2026. PMID 40973998 · DOI · PMC12793709
- Srinivasan S, Guillermo T. Toward improved health: disaggregating Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander data. Am J Public Health. 2000. PMID 11076241 · DOI
- Hodda M. Phylum Nematoda: a classification, catalogue and index of valid genera, with a census of valid species. Zootaxa. 2022. PMID 35391386 · DOI
- Williams DR, Jackson JS. Race/ethnicity and the 2000 census: recommendations for African American and other black populations in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2000. PMID 11076240 · DOI
- Oppenheimer GM. Paradigm lost: race, ethnicity, and the search for a new population taxonomy. Am J Public Health. 2001. PMID 11441730 · DOI
- Amaro H, Zambrana RE. Criollo, mestizo, mulato, LatiNegro, indígena, white, or black? The US Hispanic/Latino population and multiple responses in the 2000 census. Am J Public Health. 2000. PMID 11076239 · DOI
- Krieger N. Counting accountably: implications of the new approaches to classifying race/ethnicity in the 2000 census. Am J Public Health. 2000. PMID 11076230 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.