Non-communicable diseases - EdexcelMaths - Bar charts

Non-communicable diseases are not transferred between people, eg cancer, diabetes, genetic and neurological disorders and heart disease. Risk factors increase the chances of developing these diseases.

Part ofCombined ScienceHealth, disease and the development of medicines

Maths - Bar charts

Scientists use graphical and methods to analyse patterns of data related to disease.

Drawing bar charts

Data are often displayed in a graph or chart. These might display trends that are not as clear when just looking at data in a table.

Bar charts show data collected for separate groups. The height of the bar is proportional to the measured number or .

This table of data and bar chart show the number of deaths that could be avoided in England in 2023 from different causes.

Cause of deathNumber of deaths that could be avoided, rate per 100,000 of population
Cancer74.9
Cardiovascular disease66.1
Alcohol and drug-related27.3
Infectious diseases4.2
Injury18.3
Respiratory disease30.1
Other17
Cause of deathCancer
Number of deaths that could be avoided, rate per 100,000 of population74.9
Cause of deathCardiovascular disease
Number of deaths that could be avoided, rate per 100,000 of population66.1
Cause of deathAlcohol and drug-related
Number of deaths that could be avoided, rate per 100,000 of population27.3
Cause of deathInfectious diseases
Number of deaths that could be avoided, rate per 100,000 of population4.2
Cause of deathInjury
Number of deaths that could be avoided, rate per 100,000 of population18.3
Cause of deathRespiratory disease
Number of deaths that could be avoided, rate per 100,000 of population30.1
Cause of deathOther
Number of deaths that could be avoided, rate per 100,000 of population17
A bar-chart representation of leading causes of avoidable deaths.
Figure caption,
A bar chart illustrating avoidable deaths in England and Wales. Source: Office for National Statistics

Question

Use the information in the bar chart to find out the number of deaths that could be avoided resulting from causes other than those in the table.

Histograms

look similar to bar charts, but show how frequently data occur within certain ranges.

The is therefore continuous and is divided into sub-sections or classes.

This histogram shows data from a Scottish study of the proportion of people of different ages with depression who consult their doctor. The independent variable here is age, but the histogram shows different groups within the variable of range allowing the data to be visually comparable.

A histogram showing the rates of depression by age group
Figure caption,
Source: The Information Services Division Scotland (NHS Scotland)