scholarly journals Mortality Inequality: The Good News from a County-Level Approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Currie ◽  
Hannes Schwandt
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Good News ◽  
County Level ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Specific Mortality ◽  
Smoking Patterns ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Mortality Inequality

In this essay, we ask whether the distributions of life expectancy and mortality have become generally more unequal, as many seem to believe, and we report some good news. Focusing on groups of counties ranked by their poverty rates, we show that gains in life expectancy at birth have actually been relatively equally distributed between rich and poor areas. Analysts who have concluded that inequality in life expectancy is increasing have generally focused on life expectancy at age 40 to 50. This observation suggests that it is important to examine trends in mortality for younger and older ages separately. Turning to an analysis of age-specific mortality rates, we show that among adults age 50 and over, mortality has declined more quickly in richer areas than in poorer ones, resulting in increased inequality in mortality. This finding is consistent with previous research on the subject. However, among children, mortality has been falling more quickly in poorer areas with the result that inequality in mortality has fallen substantially over time. We also show that there have been stunning declines in mortality rates for African Americans between 1990 and 2010, especially for black men. Finally we offer some hypotheses about causes for the results we see, including a discussion of differential smoking patterns by age and socioeconomic status.

scholarly journals The evolution of infant mortality inequality in the United States, 1960–2016

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (29) ◽  
pp. eaba5908
Author(s):  
Nick Turner ◽  
Kaveh Danesh ◽  
Kelsey Moran
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Infant Mortality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
County Level ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Antipoverty Programs ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Mortality Inequality

What is the relationship between infant mortality and poverty in the United States and how has it changed over time? We address this question by analyzing county-level data between 1960 and 2016. Our estimates suggest that level differences in mortality rates between the poorest and least poor counties decreased meaningfully between 1960 and 2000. Nearly three-quarters of the decrease occurred between 1960 and 1980, coincident with the introduction of antipoverty programs and improvements in medical care for infants. We estimate that declining inequality accounts for 18% of the national reduction in infant mortality between 1960 and 2000. However, we also find that level differences between the poorest and least poor counties remained constant between 2000 and 2016, suggesting an important role for policies that improve the health of infants in poor areas.

scholarly journals Increasing Education-Based Disparities in Healthy Life Expectancy Among U.S. Non-Hispanic Whites, 2000–2010

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip Cantu ◽  
Connor M Sheehan ◽  
Isaac Sasson ◽  
Mark D Hayward
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Activities Of Daily Living ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
White Men ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Healthy Life ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Specific Mortality ◽  
Disability Prevalence ◽  
College Educated

Abstract Objectives To examine changes in Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) against the backdrop of rising mortality among less educated white Americans during the first decade of the 21st century. Method This study documented changes in HLE by education among U.S. non-Hispanic whites, using data from the U.S. Multiple Cause of Death public-use files, the Integrated Public Use Microdata Sample (IPUMS) of the 2000 Census and the 2010 American Community Survey, and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Changes in HLE were decomposed into contributions from: (1) change in age-specific mortality rates; and (2) change in disability prevalence, measured via Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). Results Between 2000 and 2010, HLE significantly decreased for white men and women with less than 12 years of schooling. By contrast, HLE increased among college-educated white men and women. Declines or stagnation in HLE among less educated whites reflected increases in disability prevalence over the study period, whereas improvements among the college educated reflected decreases in both age-specific mortality rates and disability prevalence at older ages. Discussion Differences in HLE between education groups increased among non-Hispanic whites from 2000 to 2010. In fact, education-based differences in HLE were larger than differences in total life expectancy. Thus, the lives of less educated whites were not only shorter, on average, compared with their college-educated counterparts, but they were also more burdened with disability.

scholarly journals Asthma Mortality in Canada, 1946 to 1990

1995 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S Hogg ◽  
Martin T Schechter ◽  
Julio SG Montaner ◽  
James C Hogg
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Years Of Life Lost ◽  
Population Based Study ◽  
Specific Mortality ◽  
Statistics Canada ◽  
Standardized Mortality Ratios ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Asthma Mortality

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of asthma on Canadian mortality rates over a 45-year period.DESIGN: A descriptive, population-based study.SETTING: Canada.SUBJECTS: All persons who died from asthma in Canada from 1946 to 1990 as reported to Statistics Canada in Ottawa.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Standardized mortality ratios, age-specific patterns of death, potential years of life lost (PYLL) and life expectancy lost.RESULTS: A total of 12,010 male and 8486 female asthma deaths were recorded in Canada from 1946 to 1990. Mortality rates for both sexes declined from a high of between three to six deaths in 1951 to 1955 to approximately two deaths per 100,000 in 1986 to 1990, with the decline in rates being greater for males than females. Age-specific mortality rates were highest al all ages in 1951 to 1955, except for 15 to 24 years when deaths rates for the 1981 to 1985 period were greater. PYLL exhibit the same pattern as mortality, peaking in 1951 to 1955 and subsequently declining with each period. Loss in life expectancy due to asthma was about one month (not significant) in all time periods.CONCLUSIONS: Asthma mortality rates have declined significantly over the study period. This decline appears to be linked with the convergence of sex-specific rates and with changes in the patterning or age-specific mortality. The impact of asthma on the life expectancy of Canadians is small.

scholarly journals A first analysis of excess mortality in Switzerland in 2020

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0253505
Author(s):  
Isabella Locatelli ◽  
Valentin Rousson
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Excess Mortality ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Loss Of Life ◽  
Key Indicator ◽  
All Cause Mortality ◽  
Specific Mortality ◽  
Standardized Mortality Rate ◽  
Official Data

Objective To quantify excess all-cause mortality in Switzerland in 2020, a key indicator for assessing direct and indirect consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Using official data on deaths in Switzerland, all-cause mortality in 2020 was compared with that of previous years using directly standardized mortality rates, age- and sex-specific mortality rates, and life expectancy. Results The standardized mortality rate was 8.8% higher in 2020 than in 2019, returning to the level observed 5–6 years before, around the year 2015. This increase was greater for men (10.6%) than for women (7.2%) and was statistically significant only for men over 70 years of age, and for women over 75 years of age. The decrease in life expectancy in 2020 compared to 2019 was 0.7%, with a loss of 9.7 months for men and 5.3 months for women. Conclusions There was an excess mortality in Switzerland in 2020, linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as this excess only concerned the elderly, the resulting loss of life expectancy was restricted to a few months, bringing the mortality level back to 2015.

scholarly journals Trends in Mortality Due to Cancer in the United States by Age and County-Level Income, 1999–2015

2019 ◽  
Vol 111 (8) ◽  
pp. 863-866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana R Withrow ◽  
Amy Berrington de González ◽  
Susan Spillane ◽  
Neal D Freedman ◽  
Ana F Best ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Cancer Mortality ◽  
Death Certificate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Income Quintile ◽  
County Level ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Rate Ratios ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Disparities in cancer mortality by county-level income have increased. It is unclear whether these widening disparities have affected older and younger adults equally. National death certificate data were utilized to ascertain cancer deaths during 1999–2015. Average annual percent changes in mortality rates and mortality rate ratios (RRs) were estimated by county-level income quintile and age (25–64 vs ≥65 years). Among 25- to 64-year-olds, cancer mortality rates were 30% higher (RR = 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.29 to 1.31) in the lowest-vs the highest-income counties in 1999–2001 and 56% higher (RR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.55 to 1.57) in 2013–2015; the disparities among those 65 years and older were smaller but also widened over time (RR1999–2001 = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.03 to 1.05; RR2013–2015 = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.13 to 1.14). Widening disparities occurred across cancer sites. If all counties had the mortality rates of the highest-income counties, 21.5% of cancer deaths among 25- to 64-year-olds and 7.3% of cancer deaths in those 65 years and older would have been avoided in 2015. These results highlight an ongoing need for equity-focused interventions, particularly among younger adults.

A spatial multilevel analysis of the impacts of housing conditions on county-level life expectancy at birth in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 124 ◽  
pp. 102311
Author(s):  
Lijuan Gu ◽  
Mark Rosenberg ◽  
Linsheng Yang ◽  
Jiangping Yu ◽  
Binggan Wei
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Multilevel Analysis ◽  
County Level ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth

Do domestic immigrants live longer? An approach for estimating the life expectancy of small populations

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-416
Author(s):  
Hsin-Chung Wang ◽  
Jack C. Yue ◽  
Tzu-Yu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Work Force ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Lower Mortality ◽  
County Level ◽  
Welfare Programs ◽  
Ageing Society ◽  
Domestic Migration ◽  
Social Welfare Programs

Ageing is a major demographic issue for the world of the 21st century and is caused by substantial declines in fertility and mortality rates. Without international migration, most developed countries would not be able to balance the resulting losses of population and work force. The proportion of elderly (aged 65 and over) in Taiwan reached the threshold of 7%, indicating an ageing society, in 1993, and has been increasing dramatically since then. The county-level populations in Taiwan are also ageing rapidly, but the local changes vary widely because domestic migration rates of each county are different. Urbanization is becoming more obvious, with people tending to move to large cities and counties with better social welfare programs. As a result, domestic migration plays an important role in population ageing at the county level, and the people in counties with larger numbers of domestic immigrants are expected to have a longer life expectancy. However, the life expectancies of people in these counties do not bear out this trend. In the present study, based on domestic migration records from the Department of the Interior of Taiwan, we applied graduation methods and small-area estimation skills to construct county-level life tables, and evaluate whether domestic immigrants have lower mortality rates than those who do not migrate. We found that the domestic immigrants of Kinmen County have significantly lower mortality rates, but those of Hsinchu County do not.

Perinatal Statistics

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-302
Author(s):  
JOHN SOFATZIS ◽  
VASSO IOAKIMIDOU
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Perinatal Mortality ◽  
Weight Distribution ◽  
Newborn Infants ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Specific Mortality ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Birth Weight Distribution ◽  
Good Medical Care ◽  
Over Time

To the Editor.— Evaluation of the effect of good medical care of pregnant women and newborn infants and/or the impact of birth weight distribution on crude perinatal mortality rates is based upon the use of birth weight-specific mortality rates and standardized perinatal mortality rates.1-4 We agree with the suggestion made by Hermansen and Hasan5 that all future reports on perinatal statistics should comply with the recommendations made by WHO. Moreover, meaningful comparisons of standardized perinatal mortality rates over time and place require the use of a standard birth weight distribution.

scholarly journals The Adoption of Smoking and Its Effect on the Mortality Gender Gap in Netherlands: A Historical Perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fanny Janssen ◽  
Frans van Poppel
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Cancer Mortality ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Excess Mortality ◽  
Attributable Mortality ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Specific Mortality

We examine in depth the effect of differences in the smoking adoption patterns of men and women on the mortality gender gap in Netherlands, employing a historical perspective. Using an indirect estimation technique based on observed lung cancer mortality from 1931 to 2012, we estimated lifetime smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable mortality. We decomposed the sex difference in life expectancy at birth into smoking-related and nonsmoking-related overall and cause-specific mortality. The smoking epidemic in Netherlands, which started among men born around 1850 and among women from birth cohort 1900 onwards, contributed substantially to the increasing sex difference in life expectancy at birth from 1931 (1.3 years) to 1982 (6.7 years), the subsequent decline to 3.7 years in 2012, and the high excess mortality among Dutch men born between 1895 and 1910. Smoking-related cancer mortality contributed most to the increase in the sex difference, whereas smoking-related cardiovascular disease mortality was mainly responsible for the decline from 1983 onwards. Examining nonsmoking-related (cause-specific) mortality shed new light on the mortality gender gap and revealed the important role of smoking-related cancers, the continuation of excess mortality among women aged 40–50, and a smaller role of biological factors in the sex difference than was previously estimated.

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