Causes of Death and Social Inequalities in Mortality in Scania, Sweden
Author Information
Author(s): Maria Rosvall, Basile Chaix, John Lynch, Martin Lindström, Juan Merlo
Primary Institution: Lund University
Hypothesis
Which causes of death contribute the most to social inequalities in mortality in each age group in the whole population of Scania, Sweden?
Conclusion
CHD made a major contribution to the socioeconomic differences in overall mortality, with significant contributions from other diseases like stroke and less-common cancers.
Supporting Evidence
- Cardiovascular diseases contributed to 52% of the male socioeconomic difference in overall mortality.
- Cancer contributed to 18% of the male socioeconomic difference in overall mortality.
- Those outside the workforce showed a strongly increased risk of future mortality in all age groups compared to those inside the workforce.
Takeaway
This study looked at how different diseases affect death rates among people with different jobs and social statuses in Sweden. It found that heart disease is a big reason why some groups have higher death rates than others.
Methodology
Data from LOMAS were used to estimate 12-year follow-up mortality rates across levels of socioeconomic position and workforce participation.
Potential Biases
Potential misclassification of socioeconomic position could lead to an underestimate of the effect on mortality.
Limitations
The study may have potential misclassification of socioeconomic position and the accuracy of cause of death reporting may vary by age.
Participant Demographics
The study included 975,938 men and women aged 0 to 80 years from the whole population of Scania, Sweden.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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