Studies that treat quantitative mortality data analytically. Methodological studies primarily concerned with mortality are cited in this division and cross-referenced to N. Methods of Research and Analysis Including Models , if necessary. The main references to crude data are in the vital statistics items in S. Official Statistical Publications .
Studies of overall mortality and comparisons of several types of mortality. Studies dealing with two or more of the topics listed in this division are classified under the major section covered, or, if this is not self-evident, included here under General Mortality .
62:20109 Ananijevic-Pandey, Jordanka.
Premature mortality in former Yugoslavia. European Journal of
Epidemiology, Vol. 10, No. 3, 1994. 339-41 pp. Stuttgart, Germany. In
Eng.
"To evaluate the level of health attained before the war
started, premature mortality from all causes in the former Yugoslavia
was analyzed by republics and provinces in two respective periods.
Premature mortality, measured by the crude rate of years of potential
life lost, fell from 12,762.6 in 1970 to 6,320.1 per 100,000 population
aged 0-64 in 1990 (50% decrease). Age-adjusted rates of
republics/provinces declined during the same period to various degrees
(30% to 70%)."
Correspondence: J. Ananijevic-Pandey,
University of Belgrade, Statistics and Health Research, Institute of
Social Medicine, Dr. Subotica 15 (Silos), 11000 Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20110 Armstrong, Ben G.
Comparing standardized mortality ratios. Annals of
Epidemiology, Vol. 5, No. 1, Jan 1995. 60-4 pp. New York, New York. In
Eng.
"It is well known that the ratio of two standardized
mortality ratios (SMRs) is not in general an unbiased estimate of the
underlying within-stratum ratio of rates of one subcohort relative to
another. It is also established, although less well known, that a
sufficient condition for unbiasedness is that the underlying
stratum-specific rates in each of the two subcohorts be proportional to
the reference population. Further, the ratio of SMRs is more precise
than the wholly internal (Poisson regression) estimate of rate
ratio....To further elucidate choice between methods, we derive
expression for the asymptotic precision of each. These show that
improved precision of ratio of SMRs depends on the extent to which the
distribution of expected deaths over strata is different in the two
cohorts, or equivalently, on the variance over strata of the proportion
of expected deaths falling in the first cohort. The results are
illustrated by hypothetic examples."
Correspondence:
B. G. Armstrong, McGill University, School of Occupational Health,
1130 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1A3, Canada. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20111 Capocaccia, Riccardo; Farchi, Gino;
Mariotti, Sergio; Verdecchia, Arduino; Galletti, Anita; Angeli, Andrea;
Scipione, Riccardo; Feola, Giuseppe; Cariani, Giovanni.
Mortality in Italy in 1991. [La mortalità in Italia
nell'anno 1991.] Rapporti ISTISAN, No. 95/34, 1995. ii, 59 pp. Istituto
Superiore di Sanità [ISTISAN]: Rome, Italy. In Ita. with sum. in
Eng.
"A series of analytical tables of mortality data [for]
Italy for 1991 is presented. The age-and-sex-specific rates for the
whole of Italy are reported for 45 different death causes, as well as
the national standardized rate referred to 1971 population. The
standardized rates for each of the 20 regions and the three main
subdivisions: North, Center, South/Islands are also reported. This
report belongs to a series describing mortality in Italy since 1970,
using the same methods, with yearly updating
editions."
Correspondence: Istituto Superiore di
Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20112 Caselli, Graziella.
Developments in the study of mortality in the context of the
dynamics of population research. [Parcours et étapes des
études sur la mortalité dans la dynamique de la recherche
démographique.] Population, Vol. 50, No. 6, Nov-Dec 1995.
1,519-44 pp. Paris, France. In Fre.
Based on a review of the
literature published in the major demographic journals over the past 50
years, the author describes the trends in demographic research over
time. She concludes that the main factor affecting the changes in
research emphasis has been the change in mortality in both developed
and developing countries. She also suggests how future research
interests might evolve.
Correspondence: G. Caselli,
Università degli Studi di Roma la Sapienza, Via Nomentana 41,
Rome 00161, Italy. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
62:20113 Dzúrová,
Dagmar. Relationship between environment quality and
mortality in Czechoslovakia. Acta Universitatis Carolinae:
Geographica, Vol. 27, No. 1, 1992. 91-103 pp. Prague, Czechoslovakia.
In Eng. with sum. in Cze.
"Our paper concentrates on a
regional analysis of the relationship between living environment and
public health....We utilized the collected data concerning the
relationship between environment and public health and worked out an
application of these data to be implemented in Czechoslovakia
(CSFR)....Czechoslovakia's extremely disturbed areas usually correspond
to regions with high mortality rates. However, the relationship between
the two phenomena is not explicit because these `disrupted' areas also
have different ethnic and social structures. The education standards of
their populations are usually lower, in addition to other adverse
characteristics which can be described as
socio-pathological."
Correspondence: D.
Dzúrová, Charles University, Faculty of Science,
Department of Social Geography and Regional Development, Prague, Czech
Republic. Location: Princeton University Library (FST).
62:20114 Gage, Timothy B.; Zansky, Shelly
M. Anthropometric indicators of nutritional status and
level of mortality. American Journal of Human Biology, Vol. 7, No.
6, 1995. 679-91 pp. New York, New York. In Eng.
The relationship
between several anthropometric indicators of nutritional status,
representing standards of living, and mortality is examined using data
from a worldwide sample of 602 life tables spanning the period
1940-1975. "The anthropometric indicators examined include height,
weight, weight-for-height, and weight-for-height at various ages. The
results demonstrate that height is most closely associated with the
level of mortality....Of the ages examined, age 6 consistently has the
strongest relationship with the level of mortality, whereas birthweight
and adult measures have the lowest associations....There is little or
no sex difference in the slope of the relationship between
anthropometric measure and level of mortality after correcting for
smaller size and longer life expectancies of females compared to males.
Overall, the anthropometric indicators are very highly correlated with
mortality, exceeding 0.85 in some cases. This suggests that
anthropometric dimensions may be a useful source of corroborative
information when attempting to estimate demographic rates for
populations where the demographic data are
suspect."
Correspondence: T. B. Gage, State University
of New York, Social Sciences 259a, Albany, NY 12222. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20115 Goyal, R. P. Mortality
in India: trend and prospects. Demography India, Vol. 23, No. 1-2,
Jan-Dec 1994. 103-16 pp. Delhi, India. In Eng.
The author uses data
from India's Sample Registration System to "analyse the pattern
and level of the mortality changes that are taking place over this
recent period of twenty years between 1970 to 1990....This comparative
analysis...reveals that generally there has been a steady and
consistent all round decline in mortality level in India during the
last two decades. The trend has been similar for males as well as
females and both in rural and urban areas. However, female mortality in
general and male mortality at ages of 20 years and above in urban areas
during 1985-89 recorded a small decline as compared to the
corresponding levels in the quinquennium immediately preceding. This
has been an exception to the general
behaviour."
Correspondence: R. P. Goyal, Delhi
University, Institute of Economic Growth, Population Research Centre,
Delhi 110 007, India. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
62:20116 Härö, A. Sakari.
Surveillance of mortality in the Scandinavian countries,
1947-1993. Studies in Social Security and Health, No. 4, ISBN
951-669-392-X. 1995. 342 pp. Social Insurance Institution: Helsinki,
Finland. In Eng. with sum. in Fin.
"The study examines trends
in overall mortality and deaths from 15 important causes over a period
of nearly 50 years in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. While the
observed trends are similar in all four countries, in Denmark mortality
has decreased less than in the other three countries. Deaths due to
accident or violence have--especially in Finland--declined less than
deaths from specific diseases. The economic recession of the 1990s was
not yet reflected in the 1993 mortality figures." The data used
are from official sources in the countries
concerned.
Correspondence: Social Insurance Institution,
Research and Development Centre, P.O. Box 450, 00101 Helsinki, Finland.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20117 Jain, S. K. Trends in
mortality by causes of death in Australia, the states and territories
during 1971-92, and in statistical divisions and sub-divisions during
1991-92. Pub. Order No. 3313.0. ISBN 0-642-20675-9. 1994. xii, 169
pp. National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health [NCEPH]:
Canberra, Australia; Australian Bureau of Statistics: Belconnen,
Australia. In Eng.
"This publication provides a compilation
and analysis of the mortality experience of the population by age, sex
and selected causes of death for Australia, the States and Territories
during 1971 to 1992, and for the Statistical Divisions and Subdivisions
during 1991 to 1992. The study utilises death statistics compiled from
data provided by the State and Territory Registrars of Births, Deaths
and Marriages....Specific features of this study are: (i) the inclusion
of a time trend analysis of age-standardised mortality rates by causes
of death between 1971 and 1992 for Australia, and the States and
Territories, (ii) an examination of regional mortality across
Australia, and (iii) the pictorial depiction of the regional
differences in age-standardised mortality rates on a statistical
significance test scale on the maps of the States/Territories and
Australia."
Correspondence: Australian Bureau of
Statistics, P.O. Box 10, Belconnen, ACT 2616, Australia. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20118 Lai, Dejian; Hardy, Robert J.; Tsai,
Shan P. Statistical analysis of the standardized mortality
ratio and life expectancy. American Journal of Epidemiology, Vol.
143, No. 8, Apr 15, 1996. 832-40 pp. Baltimore, Maryland. In Eng.
"A new theoretical relation that does not require the constant
age-specific mortality ratio assumption is established between the
standardized mortality ratio (SMR) and the life expectancy. A set of
regression equations is developed from the theoretical relation to
derive estimates of the future expectation of life from estimates of
the SMR. Curves are presented showing the changes in life expectancy
that are associated with a given SMR for individuals aged 25, 45, and
65 years. These results will provide practical applications in
estimating remaining life expectancy in epidemiologic studies in which
the SMR is the summary statistic. An application is shown for studies
in occupational health [in the United States] to develop and illustrate
the method."
Correspondence: D. Lai, University of
Texas, School of Public Health, Program in Biometry, RAS E519, Houston,
TX 77030. Location: Princeton University Library (SZ).
62:20119 Laourou, H. Martin.
Estimating mortality in Benin from a multi-round survey
(1981-83). Population: An English Selection, Vol. 7, 1995. 125-44
pp. Paris, France. In Eng.
"We shall in the present study
proceed as follows: first, present the methodology used for the Benin
Multi-Round Survey (BMRS); second, analyse the quality of the data, by
evaluating the impact of mobility on the results, by a critical
assessment of the levels obtained for several mortality indicators and
by using indirect methods to estimate the coverage of deaths occurring
between rounds; third, construct the first life tables for Benin based
on raw data. We shall then consider in what these life tables are
specific, and where they diverge from the standard life
tables."
For the original French version of this article, see
60:30096.
Correspondence: H. M. Laourou, INSAE, B.P. 323,
Cotonou, Benin. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20120 Meslé, France; Shkolnikov,
Vladimir M. Mortality in Russia: a public health crisis in
two stages. [La mortalité en Russie: une crise sanitaire en
deux temps.] Revue d'Etudes Comparatives Est-Ouest, Vol. 26, No. 4, Dec
1995. 9-24, 195 pp. Paris, France. In Fre. with sum. in Eng.
"Over the past fifteen years, there have been very wide
fluctuations in life-expectancy...in Russia. The marked increase noted
in 1985-86 was followed by an equivalent drop, up until 1992. In 1993,
the rates showed a further deterioration. These fluctuations stem
basically from variations in mortality rates among the active
population. They are closely linked, on the one hand, with Gorbachev's
anti-alcoholism measures of 1985, and on the other with the worsening
socio-economic conditions of recent years. However, this pattern of
development is part of a long-term negative trend. In Russia, as in
other Eastern European countries, there has been a deterioration in
public health conditions since the middle sixties, despite the fact
that these countries have succeeded in checking the rise in
cardio-vascular illnesses and cancer."
Correspondence:
F. Meslé, Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques,
27 rue du Commandeur, 75675 Paris Cedex 14, France. Location:
Princeton University Library (PF).
62:20121 Rychtaríková,
Jitka. Contemporary mortality problems in
Czechoslovakia. Acta Universitatis Carolinae: Geographica, Vol.
27, No. 1, 1992. 69-89 pp. Prague, Czechoslovakia. In Eng. with sum. in
Cze.
The author examines recent mortality trends in Czechoslovakia.
Aspects considered include age and sex differentials, causes of death,
educational level, marital status, regional differences, public health,
and the environment.
Correspondence: J.
Rychtaríková, Charles University, Faculty of Science,
Department of Demography and Geodemography, Albertov 6, 12 843 Prague,
Czech Republic. Location: Princeton University Library (FST).
62:20122 Seltzer, Frederic.
Choosing a standard for adjusted mortality rates. Statistical
Bulletin, Vol. 77, No. 1, Jan-Mar 1996. 13-9 pp. New York, New York. In
Eng.
"For over half a century, the standard for age-adjustment
in mortality studies has been based on the total population according
to the 1940 [U.S.] census. The question periodically arises, however,
whether a more recent census population might now be more appropriate.
Thus, a study using the six censuses from 1940 to 1990 was conducted to
see the effect each of these populations would have on the age-adjusted
(standardized) death rates. While the size of the age-adjusted rates
was affected by the censal standard populations from 1940 to 1990,
these populations hardly changed the proportional mortality by age,
sex, cause-of-death and geographic area. It appears that a shift from
the 1940 standard will not be necessary, although if more detailed
comparisons are needed, age-specific death rates can always be used.
The 1940 standard also has the advantage of being consistent with many
earlier studies."
Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20123 United States. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention [CDC] (Atlanta, Georgia). Mortality
patterns--United States, 1993. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report, Vol. 45, No. 8, Mar 1, 1996. 161-4 pp. Atlanta, Georgia. In
Eng.
"In 1993, a total of 2,268,553 deaths were registered in
the United States--92,940 more than in 1992 and the highest number ever
recorded. In addition, life expectancy at birth declined for the first
time since 1980. This report characterizes mortality patterns in 1993
(the most recent year for which complete data were available) and
compares these with patterns in 1992."
Correspondence:
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road
NE, Atlanta, GA 30333. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
62:20124 Yashin, Anatoli I.; Iachine, Ivan
A. Survival of related individuals: an extension of some
fundamental results of heterogeneity analysis. Mathematical
Population Studies, Vol. 5, No. 4, 1995. 321-39, 377 pp. Amsterdam,
Netherlands. In Eng. with sum. in Fre.
"Many ideas in the
analysis of heterogeneous mortality are based on the relationship
between individual and observed hazard rates. This connection is
established with the help of conditional averaging procedure: The
observed risk of death at age x is calculated among those who survive
this age. The analogy of this result for bivariate survival model with
correlated individual hazards is derived. In the case of correlated
frailty model the parametric specification of the mean, variance and
correlation coefficient of the bivariate frailty distribution among
survivors is obtained. The relationship between local association
measure and the characteristics of the bivariate frailty distribution
among survivors is established."
Correspondence: A. I.
Yashin, Duke University, Center for Demographic Studies, Box 90408,
Durham, NC 27708-0408. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
Studies dealing primarily with fetal and neonatal mortality, except those dealing with spontaneous abortions, which are classified under F.3. Sterility and Other Pathology , and those studies dealing with induced abortions, which are classified under F.4.5. Induced Abortion . Perinatal mortality is defined as mortality occurring between the twenty-eighth week of gestation and the seventh day of life.
Studies of infant mortality under one year of age, including neonatal mortality occurring after the seventh day of life, and childhood mortality after one year of age. The subject of infanticide, deliberate or implied, is also classified under this heading.
62:20125 Brockerhoff, Martin.
Child mortality in East Africa: the impact of preventive health
care. Population Council Research Division Working Paper, No. 76,
1995. 44 pp. Population Council, Research Division: New York, New York.
In Eng.
"This study examines the influence of preventive
primary health care on early child survival in the late 1980s and early
1990s in five East African countries. While child mortality rates
remained high, they were considerably lower than they would have been
in the absence of specific immunizations, safe drinking water,
birthspacing, and frequent antenatal care visits. There was, however,
substantial missed opportunity for mortality decline as a result of
incomplete health program coverage."
Correspondence:
Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY
10017. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20126 Defo, Barthelemy K.; Palloni,
Alberto. Determinants of mortality among Cameroonian
children: are the effects of breastfeeding and pace of childbearing
artifacts? Genus, Vol. 51, No. 3-4, Jul-Dec 1995. 61-96 pp. Rome,
Italy. In Eng. with sum. in Ita; Fre.
"We analyse a rich data
source, the Yaoundé round of surveys [conducted] by IFORD
(Institut de Formation et de Recherche Démographiques) during
the late seventies and early eighties in several African urban centers.
We argue that despite important limitations, these surveys are
potentially very useful as a source of verification of hypotheses that
have been heretofore improperly tested with retrospective surveys.
Using the Yaoundé round we obtain fine-tuned estimates of the
effects of lactation and timing of following conception on infant and
child mortality. We are able to identify the role played by
birthweight, types of breastfeeding, and antecedent illnesses and thus
control for important variables that are not normally recorded in
conventional demographic surveys. We show that potential biases
associated with losses to follow-up and selection processes are of
little significance."
Correspondence: B. K. Defo,
University of Montreal, Department of Demography, C.P. 6128, Succursale
A, Montreal H3C 3J7, Canada. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20127 Frankenberg, Elizabeth.
The effects of access to health care on infant mortality in
Indonesia. Health Transition Review, Vol. 5, No. 2, Oct 1995.
143-63 pp. Canberra, Australia. In Eng.
"This paper examines
the impact of access to health facilities and personnel on infant and
child mortality in Indonesia. Demographic and Health Survey data are
combined with village-level censuses of infrastructure collected by the
Central Bureau of Statistics. Because the village-level data are
available from two points in time, it is possible to analyse the
effects on mortality risks within the village of changes in access to
health care. Factors about villages that might affect both access to
health care and mortality risks are held constant. Adding a maternity
clinic to a village decreases the odds of infant mortality by almost 15
per cent, in comparison to the risk before the clinic was added. An
additional doctor reduces the odds by about 1.7 per
cent."
Correspondence: E. Frankenberg, RAND, 1700 Main
Street, Santa Monica, CA 90407. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20128 Garenne, Michel; Coninx, Rudi; Dupuy,
Chantal. The effects of the civil war in central
Mozambique and an evaluation of the intervention of the Red Cross.
[Effets de la guerre civile au Centre-Mozambique et évaluation
d'une intervention de la Croix Rouge.] Les Dossiers du CEPED, No. 38,
ISBN 2-87762-085-9. Apr 1996. 25 pp. Centre Français sur la
Population et le Développement [CEPED]: Paris, France. In Fre.
with sum. in Eng.
Results are presented of a retrospective study of
mortality undertaken in the central Mozambique province of
Maringué in October 1994. The study involved 1,503 women aged
15-60. The focus of this monograph is on changes over time in the
levels of mortality of children under five years of age. "During
the colonial period (1955-1974), mortality declined from 373 to 270 per
1,000. During the civil war period (1975-1991), mortality increased
rapidly to reach a peak of 473 per 1,000 in 1986. It declined again
thereafter and reached a plateau of 380 in 1991. A health intervention
conducted by the International Red Cross Committee since the end of
1991 further reduced mortality to 269 per 1,000 in 1994. Most of the
1992-1994 decline was attributable to vaccinations, in particular
measles and tetanus immunizations, and to Vitamin `A'
supplementation."
Correspondence: Centre
Français sur la Population et le Développement, 15 rue de
l'Ecole de Médecine, 75270 Paris Cedex 06, France. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20129 Gutmann, Myron P.; Fliess, Kenneth
H. The social context of child mortality in the American
Southwest. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, Vol. 26, No. 4,
Spring 1996. 589-618 pp. Cambridge, Massachusetts. In Eng.
"This article is a report about the social context of infant
and childhood mortality levels in six rural counties in Texas....Our
evidence derives from the set of questions asked of married women in
the 1900 and 1910 census about the number of children born, the number
of children surviving, and the number of years married. To these facts
we have added other evidence about wealth, as reported in County tax
assessments. Our goal is to show the nature of social differences in
childhood mortality in Texas, as well as to emphasize a number of
issues....The early sections are concerned with the explication of
childhood mortality differences by racial and ethnic group and by
occupational group. Our research indicates that differences in
childhood mortality evade the readily identifiable social
characteristics of families. We refer to these extended differences in
our population as local mortality attributes, which, in our analysis,
initially take the form of county differences in mortality, when
ethnicity, social status, and other variables are held constant.
Further pursuit of the matter suggests that contact with disease,
through general conditions of poverty and density, was a significant
factor."
Correspondence: M. P. Gutmann, University of
Texas, Department of History, Austin, TX 78712-1088. Location:
Princeton University Library (SH).
62:20130 Hill, Kenneth. Age
patterns of child mortality in the developing world. Population
Bulletin of the United Nations, No. 39, 1995. 112-32 pp. New York, New
York. In Eng.
"This article uses the data from [a] United
Nations database, supplemented in a few cases with information from
local studies thought to be of particular accuracy, to examine age
patterns of child mortality [in developing countries]. The focus is on
the split between infant mortality--that is, mortality before the first
birthday, and child mortality, between the exact ages of 1 and 5
years....The underlying objective of the article is to identify
regional patterns, both because the epidemiology and social behaviours
underlying child mortality are likely to be similar across regions and
because such identified patterns could then be used to guide the
selection of a model life-table family when using indirect estimation
methods in countries of a region."
Correspondence: K.
Hill, Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health,
615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20131 Hong Kong. Census and Statistics
Department (Hong Kong). Trends of infant mortality in Hong
Kong, 1946-1994. Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics, Sep 1995.
1-10 pp. Hong Kong. In Eng; Chi.
"This article [which appears
as an appendix] describes the trends of infant mortality in Hong Kong
from 1946 to 1994. Sex differentials and major causes of infant deaths
are analysed. Reasons for the decline in infant mortality and scope for
further improvements are also discussed."
Correspondence:
Census and Statistics Department, 19/F Wanchai Tower I, 12 Harbour
Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20132 Kytir, Josef; Kock, Christian;
Münz, Rainer. Historical regional patterns of infant
mortality in Austria. European Journal of Population/Revue
Européenne de Démographie, Vol. 11, No. 3, Sep 1995.
243-59 pp. Dordrecht, Netherlands. In Eng. with sum. in Fre.
"First an overview is given of the secular decline of infant
mortality in Austria between 1820 and 1950....Second the study analyses
the historical regional differences of infant mortality in Austria
comparing data for all 99 political districts (Politische Bezirke) for
the period 1900 to 1950. The most important results are: At the turn of
the 19th century infant mortality rates were generally lower in Alpine
than in non-Alpine regions and lower in cities than in their
surrounding areas. This geographical pattern which remained constant
until the 1950s was solely determined by differences in post-neonatal
mortality rates. Plausible explanations for these regional differences
are discussed."
Correspondence: J. Kytir, Austrian
Academy of Sciences, Institute for Demography, Hintere Zollamtstrasse
2b, 1033 Vienna, Austria. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20133 LeGrand, Thomas K.; Mbacké,
Cheikh S. M. Sex differences in mortality among young
children in the Sahel. Population Bulletin of the United Nations,
No. 39, 1995. 79-111 pp. New York, New York. In Eng.
"This
article studied sex differences in mortality among children aged 1-23
months in the cities of Bamako [Mali] and Bobo-Dioulasso [Burkina Faso]
and in a rural area of Senegal. No significant differences between male
and female mortality risks were found in any of the areas for the full
age span of 1-23 months. For smaller age groups, patterns of excess
female and male child mortality are evident. Excess female mortality,
statistically significant in standard tests, exists among children aged
1-8 months in the Senegalese area and 6-15 months in the combined urban
areas of Bamako and Bobo-Dioulasso. Excess male mortality occurs for
ages 16-23 months in the city of Bamako."
Correspondence:
T. K. LeGrand, Université de Montréal,
Département de Démographie, C.P. 6128, Succursale A,
Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
62:20134 LeGrand, Thomas K.; Phillips, James
F. The effect of fertility reductions on infant and child
mortality: evidence from Matlab in rural Bangladesh. Population
Studies, Vol. 50, No. 1, Mar 1996. 51-68 pp. London, England. In Eng.
"The role of family planning programmes and declining
fertility in improving infant and child survival has been the subject
of considerable debate. In this paper, we analyse data from Matlab,
Bangladesh, to assess the net effect of falling total fertility on the
mortality rates of young children. Areal time-series models are
estimated to determine the role of fertility decline after having
controlled for the effects of other health service interventions. The
results show that fertility reductions have little effect on neonatal
and post-neonatal mortality, possibly a small effect on toddler
(second-year) mortality, and a significant and relatively large impact
on the mortality of children aged between two and four years. Possible
explanations for these findings and their implications are
discussed."
Correspondence: T. K. LeGrand,
Université de Montréal, Département de
Démographie, C.P. 6128, Succursale A, Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7,
Canada. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20135 LeGrand, Thomas K.; Phillips, James
F. The effect of fertility reductions on infant and child
mortality: evidence from Matlab in rural Bangladesh. Population
Council Research Division Working Paper, No. 77, 1995. 42 pp.
Population Council, Research Division: New York, New York. In Eng.
"This paper analyzes data from Matlab, Bangladesh, to assess
the net effect of falling total fertility rates on the mortality rates
of young children. Areal time-series models are estimated to determine
the role of fertility decline after controlling for the effects of
other health-service interventions. The results show that fertility
reductions have little effect on neonatal and postneonatal mortality,
possibly a small effect on toddler (second-year) mortality, and a
significant and relatively large impact on the mortality of children
aged between two to four years."
Correspondence:
Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY
10017. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20136 Masuy-Stroobant, Godelieve.
Infant mortality in Europe and Canada: a resolved problem? [La
mortalité infantile en Europe et au Canada: un problème
résolu?] Cahiers Québécois de Démographie,
Vol. 23, No. 2, Autumn 1994. 297-340 pp. Montreal, Canada. In Fre. with
sum. in Eng; Spa.
"Tendencies in foetal-infant mortality in
countries characterized by very low overall mortality rates should be
set forth in terms of health. First with respect to physical health,
greater use of technology in reproductive matters is translated by an
increase in both survival rates of very low birth weight infants and,
in certain countries, in multiple deliveries. Next concerning social
health, given the persistence and potential deepening of social
inequalities, it is unlikely that overall rates have reached a peak.
Several indicators can be developed with vital statistics, including
incidence of low and very low birth weight, specific risks by birth
weight, and differential risks by social characteristics of the
parents. These phenomena can be monitored and, to a certain extent,
compared in [Canada and] a large number of European
countries."
Correspondence: G. Masuy-Stroobant,
Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut de
Démographie, 1 place Montesquieu, B.P. 17, 1348
Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20137 Muhuri, Pradip K.
Estimating seasonality effects on child mortality in Matlab,
Bangladesh. Demography, Vol. 33, No. 1, Feb 1996. 98-110 pp.
Silver Spring, Maryland. In Eng.
"This paper estimates the net
effect of seasonality on child mortality in Matlab [Bangladesh].
Results suggest that childhood mortality was well above the average
monthly level in the hot, dry month of April and in November....It was
found to be remarkably low in the postharvest months of February and
March, and also in August. During the hungry months of September and
October, children were at a considerably increased risk of mortality,
particularly from diarrheal diseases, if mothers had no schooling, but
this was not the case if mothers had schooling. The protective effect
of the Matlab interventions on childhood death from diarrheal diseases
was also greater during the hungry months than during other months of
the year....The present analysis uses information [from the Matlab
Demographic Surveillance System] for 12,512 children (out of 14,125
babies born in Matlab between January 1, 1981 and December 31,
1982)."
Correspondence: P. K. Muhuri, World Health
Organization, Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20138 Muhuri, Pradip K. Health
programs, maternal education, and differential child mortality in
Matlab, Bangladesh. Population and Development Review, Vol. 21,
No. 4, Dec 1995. 813-34, 922, 924 pp. New York, New York. In Eng. with
sum. in Fre; Spa.
"This article examines the extent to which
differences in child mortality linked to mother's education are
affected by health intervention programs. The Matlab research area in
Bangladesh, site of the study, exhibits variations in the composition
of services within the intervention area, the presence of a comparison
group, and a time series of accurate data since the 1960s. Results show
that children in the `mother had no schooling' subgroup benefited most
from the interventions. Differences in child mortality linked to
maternal schooling were sharply diminished in the `intensive' blocks of
the Matlab intervention area, moderately reduced in the nonintensive
blocks, and remained large in the comparison area. In the intensive
intervention area, the effect of maternal schooling on overall child
mortality was diminished particularly because of the absence of measles
deaths, while insignificant differences were related to mother's
schooling in deaths from watery diarrhea, fever, respiratory diseases,
and `other causes' with the exception of dysentery and accidental
drowning."
Correspondence: P. K. Muhuri, World Health
Organization, Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20139 Murthi, Mamta; Guio, Anne-Catherine;
Dreze, Jean. Mortality, fertility, and gender bias in
India: a district-level analysis. Population and Development
Review, Vol. 21, No. 4, Dec 1995. 745-82, 921, 923-4 pp. New York, New
York. In Eng. with sum. in Fre; Spa.
"This article examines
the determinants of fertility, child mortality, and gender bias in
child survival in India using district-level data from the 1981 census.
A common set of explanatory variables is used, including male and
female literacy, the level of poverty, female labor force
participation, urbanization, health care facilities, and other
socioeconomic variables. The analysis demonstrates the powerful
demographic influence of variables that relate directly to women's
agency, notably female literacy and labor force participation. The
former, in particular, significantly reduces child mortality, fertility
levels, and the female disadvantage in child survival. The latter has
no statistically significant effect on the level of child mortality,
but reduces gender bias in child survival as well as fertility levels.
Variables reflecting the general level of development and modernization
have a negative but comparatively weak impact on mortality and
fertility levels, and, if anything, amplify rather than reduce the
gender bias in child survival. In particular, the female disadvantage
in child survival is significantly lower in districts with higher
poverty levels."
Correspondence: M. Murthi, London
School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, Aldwych,
London WC2A 2AE, England. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20140 Polednak, Anthony P.
Trends in U.S. urban black infant mortality, by degree of
residential segregation. American Journal of Public Health, Vol.
86, No. 5, May 1996. 723-6 pp. Washington, D.C. In Eng.
"Trends in Black infant mortality rates from 1982 through 1991
in large U.S. metropolitan statistical areas were examined. In some
least-segregated areas, the total Black infant mortality rate reached a
low of 13 per 1,000 live births in 1985; it increased sharply after
1985 in the West but not in the South. The explanation for these trends
is unknown, but variation in regional trends in Black postneonatal
infant mortality rates suggested that social and medical-care
differences among Blacks should be examined. A high Black infant
mortality rate for a group of most-segregated metropolitan statistical
areas persisted and contributed to the rising Black-White ratio of
rates."
Correspondence: A. P. Polednak, Connecticut
Department of Public Health, 410 Capitol Avenue, P.O. Box 340308,
Hartford, CT 06134-0308. Location: Princeton University
Library (SZ).
62:20141 Prazak, Miroslava; Booth,
Heather. Measurement and meaning: community-based research
on child mortality in rural Kenya. Working Papers in Demography,
No. 59, 1995. 29 pp. Australian National University, Research School of
Social Sciences, Department of Demography: Canberra, Australia. In Eng.
"This article explores child mortality in one small region of
rural Kenya, based on longitudinal, ethnographic data....The article
also addresses the measurement issues involved in demographic
estimation from ethnographic data and the meaning of child death to the
families involved."
Correspondence: Australian
National University, Research School of Social Sciences, Department of
Demography, G.P.O. Box 4, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20142 Ritter, C.; Bouckaert, A.; Van
Lierde, M.; Theunissen, I. Modelling mortality and
morbidity of newborns. Statistics in Medicine, Vol. 14, No. 20,
Oct 30, 1995. 2,191-204 pp. Chichester, England. In Eng.
"Data
of 10,514 singleton births collected over a ten year period at a single
hospital are analysed and models linking birthweight and gestational
age with mortality and morbidity defined by low Apgar scores are
constructed and compared. Based on these models, charts of mortality
and morbidity are drawn and compared with common charts of birthweight
centiles....The results suggest that, as far as neonatal mortality is
concerned, classification rules based on simple marginal birthweight
centiles perform almost as well as iso-mortality contours and
considerably better than birthweight centiles adjusted for gestational
age....The data consist of records of all births in Hopital St. Luc,
Université Catholique de Louvain [Belgium], from 1 January 1982
until 31 December 1992."
Correspondence: C. Ritter,
Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Statistique, 34
voie du Roman Pays, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20143 Scheper-Hughes, Nancy.
Death without weeping: the violence of everyday life in
Brazil. ISBN 0-520-07536-6. LC 91-12829. 1992. xiii, 614 pp.
University of California Press: Berkeley, California/Oxford, England.
In Eng.
This is an anthropological study on aspects of love and
death among the poor in northeastern Brazil. The main emphasis is on
characteristics of maternal love and the death of children. "I
argue that in the absence of a firm grounding for the expectancy of
child survival, maternal thinking and practice are grounded in a set of
assumptions (e.g., that infants and babies are easily replaceable or
that some infants are born `wanting' to die) that contribute even
further to an environment that is dangerous, even antagonistic, to new
life."
Correspondence: University of California Press,
2120 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA 94720. Location: Princeton
University Library (FST).
62:20144 Strobino, Donna; O'Campo, Patricia;
Schoendorf, Kenneth C.; Lawrence, Jean M.; Oberdorf, Mary A.; Paige,
David M.; Guyer, Bernard. A strategic framework for infant
mortality reduction: implications for "Healthy Start."
Milbank Quarterly, Vol. 73, No. 4, 1995. 507-33 pp. Cambridge,
Massachusetts/Oxford, England. In Eng.
"The high infant
mortality rate in the United States, especially in urban areas, remains
a major federal concern. Four strategies for reducing infant mortality
in cities participating in the federal `Healthy Start' are reducing
high-risk pregnancies; reducing the incidence of low birthweight and
preterm births; improving birthweight-specific survival; and reducing
specific causes of post neonatal mortality. Estimates of the impact of
known interventions indicate that the reduction in infant mortality
would be large for only one strategy: improving birthweight-specific
survival. Most interventions yield a 2 percent reduction, or less, in
mortality and, when combined, would amount to about 30 percent. This
strategic model provides a realistic framework to asses the impact of
the Healthy Start demonstration and is useful in highlighting the
interventions most likely to reduce infant mortality in a
population."
Correspondence: D. Strobino, Johns
Hopkins University, Department of Maternal and Child Health, 624 North
Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20145 United States. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention [CDC] (Atlanta, Georgia). Poverty
and infant mortality--United States, 1988. Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report, Vol. 44, No. 49, Dec 15, 1995. 922-7 pp. Atlanta,
Georgia. In Eng.
"To analyze the relation between parental low
income and infant mortality [in the United States], CDC analyzed data
from the 1988 National Maternal and Infant Health Survey (NMIHS) (the
most recent data available). This report presents the findings of the
analysis and indicates that for women with household incomes below the
poverty level in 1988, the infant mortality rate was 60% higher and the
postneonatal mortality rate was twice as high as those for women living
above poverty level."
Correspondence: U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA
30333. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20146 van Poppel, Frans; Kok, Jan; Kruse,
Ellen. "The major cause of the differences is
crime": an attempt to explain the excess mortality of illegitimate
children in The Hague in the middle of the nineteenth century.
["La cause principale des différences c'est le crime":
essai d'explication de la surmortalité des enfants
illégitimes a La Haye au milieu du XIXe siècle.] Annales
de Démographie Historique, 1995. 241-75 pp. Paris, France. In
Fre. with sum. in Eng.
Reasons are explored for the high rates of
mortality experienced by illegitimate children in The Hague,
Netherlands, during the nineteenth century. The data, which were taken
from the city's population register, concern children born in the
period 1850-1852. "After children had reached the age of one
month, mortality among illegitimate children became very high, compared
to that of our reference group. Proportional hazards analysis showed
that this excess mortality was caused by a set of factors, the most
important being the age of the mother at birth, regional background,
and the socioeconomic group to which the notifier of the birth
belonged. Aside from those factors, legal status of the child as such
had an effect on infant mortality. The unwed mothers most likely to
lose their child in its first year of life lived alone with their child
and were obliged to resume work to support themselves and their child.
The opportunity to breast-feed may have played a key role in
this."
Correspondence: F. van Poppel, Netherlands
Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute, Postbus 11650, 2502 AR The
Hague, Netherlands. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
62:20147 Yaakoubd, Abdel-Ilah.
Social class and inequalities in mortality under one year of age in
Morocco. [Classes sociales et inégalités devant la
mort à moins d'un an au Maroc.] Genus, Vol. 51, No. 1-2, Jan-Jun
1995. 147-54 pp. Rome, Italy. In Fre.
This is an analysis of
mortality differentials among children under one year of age in
Morocco. Data are used from the National Survey on Fertility and Family
Planning which was carried out in 1979-1980. The focus of the analysis
is on mortality differentials by social class. Separate consideration
is given to neonatal, postneonatal, and infant mortality. The author
also examines the effects of contraceptive practice, quality of
housing, and urban-rural residence on infant
mortality.
Correspondence: A.-I. Yaakoubd, Institut
National de Statistique et d'Economie Appliquée,
Département de Démographie et Sciences Humaines, Rabat,
Morocco. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
Studies of age-specific mortality and of mortality in special groups defined by age.
62:20148 Ahmed, M. Faroque.
Recent estimates of adult mortality from widowhood in Bangladesh: a
critical comparison. Genus, Vol. 51, No. 3-4, Jul-Dec 1995. 97-116
pp. Rome, Italy. In Eng. with sum. in Ita; Fre.
"The indirect
techniques of demographic estimation available at the moment are often
inadequate to estimate levels in the presence of trends. The
generalised stable population relations have been applied to census and
survey data collected in Bangladesh for the estimation of adult
mortality. This method combines two sets of widowhood data and yields
estimates for the intersurvey period. The generalised stable population
relations are based on the assumption that the population is closed to
migration between the censuses. The application of the method is simple
whatever may be the length of the inter survey period. But the method
may be found to be affected by age misreporting and other
errors."
Correspondence: M. F. Ahmed, 31 Lansdell
Road, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 2JF, England. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
62:20149 Chung, Sung J. Formulas
expressing life expectancy, survival probability and death rate in life
table at various ages in U.S. adults. International Journal of
Bio-Medical Computing, Vol. 39, No. 2, 1995. 209-17 pp. Limerick,
Ireland. In Eng.
"Formulas expressing death rate, survival
probability and life expectancy at various ages in U.S. adults are
constructed from the data of the National Center for Health Statistics
(NCHS). A mathematical model of the `probacent'-probability equation
previously published by the author is employed in this study. Analysis
of the computer-assisted predicted values and the data reported by the
NCHS indicates that the formulas are accurate and reliable with a close
agreement in expressing death rate, survival probability and life
expectancy at various ages in U.S. adults of 25 years of age and older.
The formulas can determine the relationship between the age and the
death rate, the survival probability or the life expectancy and may be
of value for epidemiologic evaluation of U.S.
adults."
Correspondence: S. J. Chung,
Morristown-Hamblen Hospital, Department of Pathology, 908 West Fourth
North Street, Morristown, TN 37814. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
62:20150 Festy, Patrick. Adult
mortality and proportions orphaned in Austria in 1991. Population:
An English Selection, Vol. 7, 1995. 232-8 pp. Paris, France. In Eng.
"At the Austrian micro-census taken in June 1991, a question
was inserted on survival of parents and grandparents (on both sides),
with the object of investigating family networks....By comparing the
census information on survival of parents and the corresponding direct
measures of mortality, we have an opportunity to assess the validity of
techniques which are commonly used in countries with defective vital
registration. We shall consider here female adult mortality and
proportions of persons whose mothers have died (maternal
orphanhood)....This method, which hinges on the reporting of a single
event that is no doubt remembered well, proves a good substitute for
direct mortality measures, despite a slight underestimation. It
describes the performance of cohorts, some of which are relatively old,
but the results can be translated into the recent
period."
Correspondence: P. Festy, Institut National
d'Etudes Démographiques, 27 rue du Commandeur, 75675 Paris Cedex
14, France. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20151 Hirschman, Charles; Preston, Samuel;
Loi, Vu Manh. Vietnamese casualties during the American
war: a new estimate. Population and Development Review, Vol. 21,
No. 4, Dec 1995. 783-812, 921-2, 924 pp. New York, New York. In Eng.
with sum. in Fre; Spa.
"Retrospective reports of the birth and
death dates of 5,562 kin from the 1991 Vietnam Life History Survey
(VLHS), a sample survey of 403 households and 921 adults in four areas
of Vietnam, provide plausible estimates of adult mortality trends and
patterns in that country. The VLHS mortality estimates are consistent
with estimates from independent sources for recent periods, and, when
war deaths are excluded, are in broad agreement with expected patterns
from model life tables. After analyzing the quality of the VLHS
mortality data, the authors estimate the costs, in Vietnamese lives, of
the `American war', from 1965 to 1975. Death rates of young men, age
15-29, during the peak war years were more than seven times higher than
`normal' (nonwar) death rates. Applying the VLHS estimated age-specific
death rates for war-related deaths to population estimates for the
period, the authors estimate that approximately one million (plus or
minus 175,000) Vietnamese died either as military or civilian
casualties, on both sides, from 1965 to
1975."
Correspondence: C. Hirschman, University of
Washington, Department of Sociology, Seattle, WA 98195. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20152 Kitange, Henry M.; Machibya, Harun;
Black, Jim; Mtasiwa, Deo M.; Masuki, Gabriel; Whiting, David; Unwin,
Nigel; Moshiro, Candida; Klima, Peter M.; Lewanga, Mary; Alberti, K. G.
M. M.; McLarty, Donald G. Outlook for survivors of
childhood in Sub-Saharan Africa: adult mortality in Tanzania.
British Medical Journal, Vol. 312, No. 7025, Jan 27, 1996. 216-20 pp.
London, England. In Eng.
Mortality and the probability of death are
analyzed among a population of 160,733 adults aged 15-59 living in both
rural and urban areas of Tanzania between 1992 and 1995. "During
the three year observation period a total of 4,929 deaths were recorded
in adults aged 15-59 years in all areas. Crude mortalities ranged from
[6.1 per 1,000 per] year for women in Hai to [15.9 per 1,000 per] year
for men in Morogoro rural. Age specific mortalities were up to 43 times
higher than rates in England and Wales." The results show that the
survivors of childhood continue to show high rates of mortality
throughout adult life.
Correspondence: D. G. McLarty,
Muhimbili Medical Centre, P.O. Box 63320, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Location: Princeton University Library (SZ).
Studies that present actual life table data and all studies concerned primarily with life tables, including the appropriate methodological studies. Life table studies that are concerned with topics other than mortality are classified under the appropriate heading and cross-referenced to this heading.
62:20153 Dupâquier, Jacques.
The invention of the life table. [L'invention de la table de
mortalité.] Collections Sociologies, ISBN 2-13-047361-X. 1996.
177 pp. Presses Universitaires de France: Paris, France. In Fre.
This study examines the development of the life table and its
implications. The author shows that the concept of the life table, and
the mathematical formulas needed to express it, evolved through two
separate channels during the second half of the seventeenth century.
The first step of this evolution was taken in the Netherlands as part
of the empirical process of raising state loans based on tontines, a
process which in turn depended on calculating how long people would
live. The second step toward the invention of the life table was taken
in England and was based on the theoretical realization that mortality
was a function of age; this realization led to the development of the
concept of life expectancy. By bringing together these two approaches,
Halley was able to construct the first life table in 1693. The author
then goes on to describe the further applications of life table
techniques that became possible when more extensive mortality data
became available toward the end of the eighteenth
century.
Correspondence: Presses Universitaires de France,
108 boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris, France. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20154 Mitra, S. The search for
models of life table functions. Demography India, Vol. 23, No.
1-2, Jan-Dec 1994. 149-55 pp. Delhi, India. In Eng.
The author
outlines attempts to develop mathematical models of life table
functions. Sections are included on the single hump model, a
mathematical model of survivorship function, and other statistical
models.
Correspondence: S. Mitra, Emory University,
Department of Sociology, Atlanta, GA 30322. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20155 Nath, Dilip C.; Choudhury,
Labananda. Two regional (rural-urban) life tables for
India. Genus, Vol. 51, No. 1-2, Jan-Jun 1995. 45-67 pp. Rome,
Italy. In Eng. with sum. in Ita; Fre.
"This paper proposes to
construct, for India, a two-regional life table, considering two
regions viz., rural and urban. Such a table provides information on the
probabilities of survivorship and migration, as well as life expectancy
by age, region and place of birth and in particular information on: (1)
The probability that an individual living in a rural area at age x will
be living in an urban area at age y. (2) Life expectancy at birth in a
rural area, and the number of years on average this individual may live
in an urban area. The aim here is to compare and contrast rural to
urban and urban to rural migration probabilities by sex and age for the
years 1971, 1981 and 1991, and provide the underlying reasons.
Region-specific life expectancy is also compared for these
years."
Correspondence: D. C. Nath, Duke University,
Department of Sociology, Durham, NC 27708-0088. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20156 Ng, Edward; Gentleman, Jane
F. The impact of estimation method and population
adjustment on Canadian life table estimates. [Incidence de la
méthode d'estimation et de la correction de la population sur
les estimations tirées des tables de mortalité
canadiennes.] Health Reports/Rapports sur la Santé, Vol. 7, No.
3, 1995. 15-22 pp. Ottawa, Canada. In Eng; Fre.
"Abridged life
tables centered on 1991 were produced from the 1991 Canadian census,
net census undercoverage estimates, and death data from 1990 to 1992.
The sensitivity of life table values to differing methods of estimation
and population estimates was investigated. The results from four
methods by Greville, Chiang, and Keyfitz were compared, and population
estimates, both adjusted and unadjusted for net census undercoverage,
were used to test the effects of method and type of population estimate
on life table values. The results indicate that the method used to
derive the estimates had much less influence on the life table values
than did the choice of population
estimate."
Correspondence: E. Ng, Statistics Canada,
Health Statistics Division, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T6, Canada.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20157 United States. National Center for
Health Statistics [NCHS] (Hyattsville, Maryland). Vital
statistics of the United States, 1992. Volume II, Section 6. Life
tables. Pub. Order No. DHHS (PHS) 96-1104. ISBN 0-16-048039-6. Apr
1996. 20 pp. Hyattsville, Maryland. In Eng.
Life table data are
presented for the United States. The data concern abridged life tables,
numbers of survivors by age, and life expectancy for 1992; life tables
by race and sex, 1900-1992; and estimated average length of life by
race and sex, 1900-1992.
Correspondence: U.S. Government
Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop SSOP,
Washington, D.C. 20402-9328. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20158 Zaba, Basia; Paes, Neir.
An alternative procedure for fitting relational model life
tables. Genus, Vol. 51, No. 1-2, Jan-Jun 1995. 19-43 pp. Rome,
Italy. In Eng. with sum. in Ita; Fre.
"The paper considers the
problem of fitting a relational model life table to mortality data
which does not include reliable estimates of infant and child
mortality. This type of data could arise from indirect estimation of
adult mortality using orphanhood or widowhood, or from adjustment of
incomplete registration data using growth balance methods in a
population recently de-stabilized by falls in fertility. The proposed
fitting technique can give equal weight to all the age specific
mortality risk information available, rather than giving more weight to
the information for younger ages, as is the case with the traditional
method. An application to Brazilian data is
presented."
Correspondence: B. Zaba, London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Centre for Population Studies, 99 Gower
Street, London WC1E 6AZ, England. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
Studies on the ratio of mortality in different subgroups of a population, classified according to certain criteria, such as sex, social class, occupation, and marital status. Also includes studies on excess mortality and comparative mortality.
62:20159 Appels, A.; Bosma, H.; Grabauskas,
V.; Gostautas, A.; Sturmans, F. Self-rated health and
mortality in a Lithuanian and a Dutch population. Social Science
and Medicine, Vol. 42, No. 5, Mar 1996. 681-9 pp. Tarrytown, New
York/Oxford, England. In Eng.
The relationship between individuals'
poor self-evaluation of their health and mortality is analyzed using
data on 2,452 Lithuanian and 3,365 Dutch males aged 45-60 who had
originally been screened for cardiovascular risk factors in 1973 and
had subsequently been followed up for about ten years. "In both
cohorts a negative evaluation of one's health was associated with
mortality, controlling for past or present heart disease,
cardiovascular risk factors, parental life span, socio-economic and
marital status. Especially the data with regard to the comparative
question indicate that self-rated health is associated with mortality
in men living in two different socio-cultural systems. The data suggest
that a weak sense of mastery may explain the association between health
perception and mortality."
Correspondence: A. Appels,
University of Limburg, Department of Medical Psychology, Cardiovascular
Research Institute, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Location: Princeton University Library (PR).
62:20160 Ben-Shlomo, Yoav; White, Ian R.;
Marmot, Michael. Does the variation in the socioeconomic
characteristics of an area affect mortality? British Medical
Journal, Vol. 312, No. 7037, Apr 20, 1996. 1,013-4 pp. London, England.
In Eng.
This article examines whether the risk of mortality in a
geographical area is related to the degree of socioeconomic variation
within that area as well as to the average level of deprivation. The
authors use data from the 1981 census of England and mortality data for
the period 1981-1985. "Our results confirm a strong gradient in
mortality related to deprivation, together with a positive association
between degree of variation within an area and increased mortality
(P<0.001). These results support the hypothesis that variations in
income contribute an additional effect on mortality over the effect of
deprivation alone."
Correspondence: Y. Ben-Shlomo,
University College London Medical School, International Centre for
Health and Society, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health,
London WC1E 6BT, England. Location: Princeton University
Library (SZ).
62:20161 Biaye, Mady. Sexual
inequalities concerning children's health, morbidity, and mortality in
three West African countries: explanatory hypotheses, methods, and
research. [Inégalités sexuelles en matière de
santé, de morbidité et de mortalité dans l'enfance
dans trois pays de l'Afrique de l'Ouest: hyothèses, mesures et
recherche d'explication des mécanismes.] Institut de
Démographie, Serie Démographie, Monographie, No. 5, ISBN
2-87209-371-0. 1994. xi, 292 pp. Academia: Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium;
L'Harmattan: Paris, France; Université Catholique de Louvain,
Institut de Démographie: Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. In Fre.
In this doctoral dissertation, mortality differentials by sex are
examined for three West African countries: Liberia, Mali, and Senegal.
Data are from three Demographic and Health Surveys carried out in the
late 1980s. The focus is on the sociocultural causes of excessive
female mortality in what are predominantly patriarchal societies with a
strong preference for male children. The author concludes that
excessive female mortality is caused primarily by preventive and
therapeutic actions taken by parents, rather than by differences in the
nutrition and feeding of boys and girls.
Correspondence:
Academia-Erasme, 25 Grand Rue, Boite 115, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve,
Belgium. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20162 Bobak, Martin; Marmot,
Michael. East-West mortality divide and its potential
explanations: proposed research agenda. British Medical Journal,
Vol. 312, No. 7028, Feb 17, 1996. 421-5 pp. London, England. In Eng.
"There is a sharp divide in mortality between eastern and
western Europe, which has largely developed over the past three decades
and is caused mainly by chronic diseases in adulthood. The difference
in life expectancy at birth between the best and worst European
countries...is more than 10 years for both sexes....The contributions
of medical care and pollution are likely to be modest; health
behaviour, diet, and alcohol consumption seem to be more important;
smoking seems to have the largest impact. There is also evidence that
psychosocial factors are less favourable in eastern Europe. Available
data show socioeconomic gradients in all cause mortality within eastern
European countries similar to those in the West. Determinants of the
mortality gap between eastern and western Europe are probably related
to the contrast in their social
environments...."
Correspondence: M. Bobak, University
College London Medical School, Department of Epidemiology and Public
Health, London WC1E 6BT, England. Location: Princeton
University Library (SZ).
62:20163 Buettner, Thomas. Sex
differentials in old-age mortality. Population Bulletin of the
United Nations, No. 39, 1995. 18-44 pp. New York, New York. In Eng.
"This article examines levels and trends of sex differentials
in life expectancy at older ages for 29 developed countries.
Significant sex differentials in life expectancy among the elderly have
been found--but no common trend among countries....The article
concludes that it is necessary to draw more attention to old-age
mortality, and to sex differentials in particular, since the size and
relative weight of the elderly segment of the population continues to
grow. Also, it seems to be necessary to include specific goals for
old-age mortality in national health strategies aimed at reducing
overall mortality and narrowing inequalities between social
groups."
Correspondence: T. Buettner, UN Department of
Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Population
Division, Estimates and Projections Section, United Nations, New York,
NY 10017. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20164 Congdon, Peter. Life
table analysis for areas using vital register data. European
Journal of Population/Revue Européenne de Démographie,
Vol. 11, No. 4, Dec 1995. 343-69 pp. Dordrecht, Netherlands. In Eng.
"This study considers the utility of parameterised life tables
derived by survival analysis for comparing mortality between areas,
using death registration records and accompanying information on the
social characteristics for each individual deceased. Such methods
enable a comparison of summary measures of mortality experience such as
life expectancy and median age at death before and after adjustment for
socio-economic variables. In the absence of comparable information on
the survivor population an approximate life table method is
investigated as a means of comparing mortality profiles and the effects
of social factors. Such factors may pertain both to the individuals
(e.g. their birthplace) or to their small area of residence (e.g.
measures of area deprivation). These methods also permit a comparison
of the impact of socio-economic factors on different causes of death.
The application is to mortality in London over the period 1990-92 and
to its constituent boroughs and electoral
wards."
Correspondence: P. Congdon, University of
London, Queen Mary and Westfield College, Department of Geography, 327
Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
62:20165 Drever, Frances; Whitehead,
Margaret. Mortality in regions and local authority
districts in the 1990s: exploring the relationship with
deprivation. Population Trends, No. 82, Winter 1995. 19-26 pp.
London, England. In Eng.
"Regional and local authority
patterns of mortality in England and Wales for both males and females
are presented for the latest available years (1989-93)....Using a
modified form of the Department of Environment's 1991 deprivation
index, mortality in more than 350 English local authorities in 1989-93
was analysed to study the interaction between socio-economic and
geographic variables. There is a very strong relationship between
mortality and deprivation at the local authority level measured by this
new index, with a tendency for higher mortality to be associated with
greater deprivation. This relationship is most marked for males, but is
still strong for females."
Correspondence: F. Drever,
Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, Health Statistics, St.
Catherine's House, 10 Kingsway, London WC2B 6JP, England. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20166 Fordyce, E. James. Urban
mortality--race or place? Statistical Bulletin, Vol. 77, No. 2,
Apr-Jun 1996. 2-10 pp. New York, New York. In Eng.
"Several
concomitant trends have occurred in American society in the 20th
century. First, life expectancy has improved overall, and the gap
between blacks and whites has narrowed. Second, as the nature of the
economy has changed from rural agrarian to urban postindustrial, there
have been fundamental changes in population residential patterns, with
most Americans now living in metropolitan areas. Within metropolitan
areas, blacks have become concentrated in poor inner cities as whites
have moved to the more affluent suburbs. Black mortality rates are
higher in big cities than elsewhere, and appear to be directly related
to the proportion of blacks in those cities. Black-white mortality
ratios, however, are lower in cities of medium size than in either very
large or small cities."
Correspondence: E. J. Fordyce,
New York City Department of Health, Office of AIDS Surveillance, 346
Broadway, Room 706, New York, NY 10013. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
62:20167 Kaplan, George A.; Pamuk, Elsie R.;
Lynch, John W.; Cohen, Richard D.; Balfour, Jennifer L.
Inequality in income and mortality in the United States: analysis
of mortality and potential pathways. British Medical Journal, Vol.
312, No. 7037, Apr 20, 1996. 999-1,003 pp. London, England. In Eng.
This paper analyzes the relations between variations in income
distribution in the United States and a variety of health outcomes,
including variations in mortality by age. The data used are from the
period 1980-1991. The authors conclude that "variations between
states in the inequality of the distribution of income are
significantly associated with variations between states in a large
number of health outcomes and social indicators and with mortality
trends. These differences parallel relative investments in human and
social capital. Economic policies that influence income and wealth
inequality may have an important impact on the health of
countries."
Correspondence: G. A. Kaplan, California
Department of Health Services, Human Population Laboratory, Berkeley,
CA 94704. Location: Princeton University Library (SZ).
62:20168 Kark, Jeremy D.; Shemi, Galia;
Friedlander, Yechiel; Martin, Oz; Manor, Orly; Blondheim, S.
H. Does religious observance promote health? Mortality in
secular vs religious kibbutzim in Israel. American Journal of
Public Health, Vol. 86, No. 3, Mar 1996. 341-6 pp. Washington, D.C. In
Eng.
"This study assessed the association of Jewish religious
observance with mortality by comparing religious and secular kibbutzim
[in Israel]. Mortality was considerably higher in secular
kibbutzim....The lower mortality in religious kibbutzim was consistent
for all major causes of death." The data concern 3,900 men and
women living in 11 religious and 11 secular kibbutzim between 1970 and
1985.
Correspondence: J. D. Kark, Hadassah University
Hospital, Department of Social Medicine, Ein Karem, Jerusalem 91010,
Israel. Location: Princeton University Library (SZ).
62:20169 Kennedy, Bruce P.; Kawachi, Ichiro;
Prothrow-Stith, Deborah. Income distribution and
mortality: cross sectional ecological study of the Robin Hood index in
the United States. British Medical Journal, Vol. 312, No. 7037,
Apr 20, 1996. 1,004-7 pp. London, England. In Eng.
Data from the
1990 U.S. census and other sources are used to determine the effect of
income inequalities on all-cause and cause-specific mortality, using
both the Robin Hood index and the Gini coefficient. The results
indicate that "variations between states in the inequality of
income were associated with increased mortality from several causes.
The size of the gap between the wealthy and less well off--as distinct
from the absolute standard of living [among] the poor--seems to matter
in its own right. The findings suggest that policies that deal with the
growing inequalities in income distribution may have an important
impact on the health of the population."
Correspondence:
B. P. Kennedy, Harvard School of Public Health, Department of
Health Policy and Management, Boston, MA 02115. Location:
Princeton University Library (SZ).
62:20170 Langford, Ian H.; Bentham,
Graham. Regional variations in mortality rates in England
and Wales: an analysis using multi-level modelling. Social Science
and Medicine, Vol. 42, No. 6, Mar 1996. 897-908 pp. Elmsford, New
York/Oxford, England. In Eng.
"Mortality rates in England and
Wales display a persistent regional pattern indicating generally poorer
health in the North and West....This study attempts to establish the
magnitude of such independent regional differences in mortality rates
by using the techniques of multi-level modelling. Standardized
mortality rates (SMRs) for males and females under 65 for 1989-91 in
local authority districts are grouped into categories using the ACORN
classification scheme. The Townsend Index is included as a measure of
social deprivation. Using a cross-classified multi-level model, it is
shown that region accounts for approximately four times more variation
in SMRs than is explained by the ACORN classification. Analysis of
diagnostic residuals [shows] a clear North-South divide in excess
mortality when both regional and socio-economic classification of
districts are modelled simultaneously, a possibility allowed for by the
use of a multi-level model."
Correspondence: I. H.
Langford, University of East Anglia, School of Environmental Sciences,
Health Policy and Practice Unit, Norwich NR4 7TJ, England.
Location: Princeton University Library (PR).
62:20171 Laourou, H. Martin.
Differential mortality according to region of residence in
Benin. [Mortalité différentielle selon la
région de résidence au Bénin.] Genus, Vol. 51, No.
1-2, Jan-Jun 1995. 69-93 pp. Rome, Italy. In Fre. with sum. in Eng;
Ita.
"The first mortality tables of Benin elaborated by direct
estimation for the whole country deal with relatively different
regional realities. It is in this regard that the data, whether it is
death from multiround surveys or information about survival of parents,
allows one to distinguish between the North (with a higher mortality)
and the South (which has a lower mortality). Moreover, this
differential study reveals that the level of male adult mortality after
35 years in the South, is well above the national average, probably
because of the increase in deaths through violence (road accident or
victim of a fire) in this part of Benin....The originality of this
study is to have highlighted the mortality differentials at almost all
age groups of life...."
Correspondence: H. M. Laourou,
Institut National de la Statistique et de l'Analyse Economique du
Bénin, B.P. 323, Cotonou, Benin. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
62:20172 Morris, J. N.; Blane, D. B.; White,
I. R. Levels of mortality, education, and social
conditions in the 107 local education authority areas of England.
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Vol. 50, No. 1, Feb 1996.
15-7 pp. London, England. In Eng.
The authors "investigate the
relationships between education, social conditions, and
mortality...[using data for] England and its 107 local education
authority areas in 1991....Educational attainment was closely
associated with all cause, coronary, and infant mortality and strongly
associated with the index of local conditions. This social index was
also closely associated with all the measures of mortality....Area
levels of both educational attainment and deprivation-affluence are
strong correlates of local mortality rates in England. In these
analyses educational attainment may be indexing the general cultural
level of a community. Preliminary investigation with these ecological
data suggests that deprivation-affluence has the stronger association
but a surer assessment of their relative importance will require
individual level information."
Correspondence: J. N.
Morris, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Health
Promotion Sciences Unit, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, England.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20173 Stout, Nancy A.; Jenkins, E. Lynn;
Pizatella, Timothy J. Occupational injury mortality rates
in the United States: changes from 1980 to 1989. American Journal
of Public Health, Vol. 86, No. 1, Jan 1996. 73-7 pp. Washington, D.C.
In Eng.
"Changes in occupational injury mortality rates over
the 1980s were examined through analysis of the National Traumatic
Occupational Fatalities surveillance system. The U.S. occupational
injury mortality rate decreased 37% over the decade, with decreases
seen in nearly every demographic and employment sector. Greater
declines were among men, Blacks, and younger workers, as well as among
agricultural, trade, and service workers. Electrocutions,
machine-related incidents, and homicides showed the greatest
decreases."
Correspondence: N. A. Stout, National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Safety
Research, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505-2845.
Location: Princeton University Library (SZ).
62:20174 Tabutin, Dominique; Willems,
Michel. Excess female child mortality in the developing
world during the 1970s and 1980s. Population Bulletin of the
United Nations, No. 39, 1995. 45-78 pp. New York, New York. In Eng.
"How did...excess female child mortality evolve from the 1970s
to the 1980s, during a period when mortality declined significantly? Is
there a relationship between the intensity of the phenomenon and levels
of mortality or certain social development indicators? These are some
of the questions which the article discusses on the basis of reliable
and comparable data taken from approximately 60 [developing]
countries."
Correspondence: D. Tabutin,
Université Catholique de Louvain, CIDEP, Place de
l'Université 1, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20175 Watt, Graham C. M. All
together now: why social deprivation matters to everyone. British
Medical Journal, Vol. 312, No. 7037, Apr 20, 1996. 1,026-9 pp. London,
England. In Eng.
The author considers the growing body of evidence
of the relationship between socioeconomic inequalities and differential
mortality in the United Kingdom and examines the reasons for the lack
of action taken. He points out the need for doctors to become more
involved in a public debate on this issue. He suggests that "there
is a crying need to improve public and professional understanding of
the links between health, education, and economic policy and the
consequences for everyone of the increasing social and economic
exclusion of a substantial proportion of the
population."
Correspondence: G. C. M. Watt, University
of Glasgow, Woodside Health Centre, Glasgow G20 7LR, Scotland.
Location: Princeton University Library (SZ).
Studies of demographic relevance on causes of death. Studies of morbidity and of public health measures are included only if they relate specifically to mortality. Also included are maternal mortality and comparisons of causes.
62:20176 Anderson, H. Ross; Ponce de Leon,
Antonio; Bland, J. Martin; Bower, Jonathan S.; Strachan, David
P. Air pollution and daily mortality in London:
1987-92. British Medical Journal, Vol. 312, No. 7032, Mar 16,
1996. 665-9 pp. London, England. In Eng.
This study investigates
"whether outdoor air pollution levels in London influence daily
mortality....[It uses] Poisson regression analysis of daily counts of
deaths, with adjustment for effects of secular trend, seasonal and
other cyclical factors, day of the week, holidays, influenza epidemic,
temperature, humidity, and autocorrelation, from April 1987 to March
1992....[The authors conclude that] ozone levels (same day) were
associated with a significant increase in all cause, cardiovascular,
and respiratory mortality....Black smoke concentrations on the previous
day were significantly associated with all cause mortality, and this
effect was also greater in the warm season and was independent of the
effects of other pollutants....Significant but smaller and less
consistent effects were also observed for nitrogen dioxide and sulphur
dioxide. [Thus,] daily variations in air pollution within the range
currently occurring in London may have an adverse effect on daily
mortality."
Correspondence: H. R. Anderson, Saint
George's Hospital Medical School, Department of Public Health Sciences,
London SW17 ORE, England. Location: Princeton University
Library (SZ).
62:20177 Bender, Deborah; Santander, Ana;
Balderrama, Aurora; Arce, Alfredo; Medina, Rosario.
Transforming the process of service delivery to reduce maternal
mortality in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Reproductive Health Matters, No.
6, Nov 1995. 52-9 pp. London, England. In Eng. with sum. in Fre; Spa.
"Maternal mortality is a problem of considerable magnitude yet
it still receives inadequate attention in developing countries.
Recently, increased attention has been given to preventing maternal
mortality through innovative programmes of service delivery, in which
success is usually measured by outcomes such as changes in the ratio of
maternal mortality/morbidity or an increase in use of health services,
without looking at the actual process of service delivery. This paper
presents a model of participative management as a means of changing the
process of maternal health care delivery. It was developed as part of
Proyecto MADRE, a community-based reproductive health project in
Cochabamba, Bolivia."
Correspondence: A. Santander,
University of San Simon, Cochabamba, Bolivia. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20178 Bongaarts, John. Global
trends in AIDS mortality. Population Council Research Division
Working Paper, No. 80, 1995. 37 pp. Population Council, Research
Division: New York, New York. In Eng.
"A set of projections of
the annual number of AIDS cases and AIDS deaths from 1995 to 2005 for
each of the world's major regions is presented. The epidemic is
expected to continue to grow rapidly in Africa, Asia, and Latin
America. In contrast, in North America and Europe the annual number of
new AIDS cases is projected to level off in the next few years. The
effect of the epidemic on the death rate will be highest in sub-Saharan
Africa, but population growth in this region will remain
high."
Correspondence: Population Council, One Dag
Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
62:20179 Burgio, Alessandra; Frova,
Luisa. Mortality projections by cause of death:
extrapolation of trends or age-period-cohort model. [Projections
de mortalité par cause de décès: extrapolation
tendancielle ou modele age-periode-cohorte.] Population, Vol. 50, No.
4-5, Jul-Oct 1995. 1,031-51 pp. Paris, France. In Fre. with sum. in
Eng; Spa.
"An age-cohort model is used to project mortality
from specific causes and the results are compared with those from a
more determinist method of analyzing time series, based on an
adjustment of period data by analytic functions. This method is applied
to Italian statistics for those aged 60 and older....First, results
from a projection for 1971-1986 based on death rates between 1951 and
1986 were compared with actual data. The death rate was then projected
to 2020, on the basis of rates for the period 1951-1986. The results
and theoretical considerations clearly show the strengths and
weaknesses of the two methods of projection
used."
Correspondence: A. Burgio, Ministerio della
Sanità, Rome, Italy. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20180 Collins, Veronica R.; Dowse, Gary K.;
Cabealawa, Sereima; Ram, Parshu; Zimmet, Paul Z. High
mortality from cardiovascular disease and analysis of risk factors in
Indian and Melanesian Fijians. International Journal of
Epidemiology, Vol. 25, No. 1, Feb 1996. 59-69 pp. Oxford, England. In
Eng.
"Here we report 11-year all-cause and cause-specific
mortality rates and risk factors for total, CVD [cardiovascular
disease] and coronary heart disease (CHD) for indigenous Melanesian and
Asian Indian people of Fiji....Following a baseline risk factor survey
in 1980, mortality surveillance continued until 1991 in a
representative cohort of 1,325 Melanesians and 1,221 Indians from urban
and rural areas of Fiji....Total mortality rates in Melanesians were
15.9 and 9.2/1,000 person-years, and in Indians were 13.5 and 6.8/1,000
person-years, in men and women respectively. Death due to CHD was more
common in men than women, and in Indian than Melanesian men, although
total CVD deaths were more common in Melanesian men. Deaths due to CHD
were more common in the urban than the rural area. After adjusting for
other risk factors Indian ethnicity was associated with a significantly
reduced risk of total and CVD mortality in men, and total mortality in
women....Cardiovascular disease is now responsible for a large
proportion of total mortality in both Indian and Melanesian Fijians.
The major risk factors identified in Fijians are similar to those
observed in developed populations."
Correspondence: V.
R. Collins, International Diabetes Institute, 260 Kooyong Road,
Caulfield South, 3162 Victoria, Australia. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
62:20181 Devaraj, K.; Kulkarni, P. M.;
Krishnamoorthy, S. An indirect method to estimate maternal
mortality ratio: a proposal and a first approximation. Demography
India, Vol. 23, No. 1-2, Jan-Dec 1994. 127-31 pp. Delhi, India. In Eng.
The authors "use infant mortality rate and total fertility
rate to estimate maternal mortality ratio....The regression equation
developed to estimate MMR [maternal mortality ratios] from IMR [infant
mortality rates] indicates a reasonably high level of precision in
predicting MMR (i.e. 64 percent of variation explained) in spite of low
quality of input data. The results may, therefore, be considered only
as a first approximation."
Correspondence: K. Devaraj,
Gandhigram Institute for Rural Health and Family Welfare Trust,
Ambathurai R. S., Tamil Nadu 624 309, India. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20182 Fawcus, S.; Mbizvo, M. T.; Lindmark,
G.; Nystrom, L. A community based investigation of causes
of maternal mortality in rural and urban Zimbabwe. Central African
Journal of Medicine, Vol. 41, No. 4, 1995. 105-13 pp. Harare, Zimbabwe.
In Eng.
"Most data on maternal mortality in Zimbabwe has been
urban hospital based. Using a network of informants and sensitized
health workers an attempt was made to identify and investigate all
maternal deaths in rural Masvingo and urban Harare over a two year
period. The present report discusses place of death and the medical
causes in both populations....This community based study revealed
higher maternal mortality rates (MMR) than conventional statistics,
especially in the rural area where deaths occurred at home or in
transit. In the rural area the MMR was higher and the leading cause of
death was hemorrhage, compared to eclampsia in the urban area.
Strategies to reduce maternal deaths should include factors both within
and outside health service structures."
Correspondence:
S. Fawcus, Grooteschuur Hospital, Department of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20183 Gaizauskiené, Aldona;
Westerling, Ragnar. A comparison of avoidable mortality in
Lithuania and Sweden 1971-1990. International Journal of
Epidemiology, Vol. 24, No. 6, Dec 1995. 1,124-31 pp. Oxford, England.
In Eng.
"The aim of this study is to examine the possibility
of comparing data on avoidable mortality in Lithuania with Sweden and,
when realistic, to compare avoidable mortality rates between Lithuania
and Sweden....Comparisons were made for the time period 1971-1990....In
the age group 5-64 years in 1971-1975 the total mortality in Lithuania
was 60% higher than that in Sweden. In 1986-1990 this gap had increased
to 90%. For most avoidable death indicators the difference was even
greater, i.e. the death rate in Lithuania was several times higher than
that in Sweden....The results indicate potential fields for improvement
of the health care system in Lithuania. The importance of implementing
international classification systems for epidemiological surveillance
of the outcome of health care is stressed."
Correspondence:
A. Gaizauskiené, Ministry of Health, Lithuanian Health
Information Centre, Tilto 13, 2001 Vilnius, Lithuania. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20184 Giles, Graham G.; Armstrong, Bruce
K.; Burton, Robert C.; Staples, Margaret P.; Thursfield, Vicky
J. Has mortality from melanoma stopped rising in
Australia? Analysis of trends between 1931 and 1994. British
Medical Journal, Vol. 312, No. 7039, May 4, 1996. 1,121-5 pp. London,
England. In Eng.
Recent trends in mortality from melanoma in
Australia are described over the period 1931 to 1994. The results
suggest that "melanoma mortality in Australia peaked in about 1985
and has now plateaued. On the basis of trends in cohorts it can be
expected to fall in coming years."
Correspondence: G.
G. Giles, Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria, Cancer Epidemiology Centre,
Carlton South, Victoria 3053, Australia. Location: Princeton
University Library (SZ).
62:20185 Hionidou, Violetta. The
demography of a Greek famine: Mykonos, 1941-1942. Continuity and
Change, Vol. 10, No. 2, Aug 1995. 279-99 pp. London, England. In Eng.
with sum. in Ger; Fre.
"This article examines the demographic
characteristics of the famine that occurred in 1941-1942 on the Greek
island of Mykonos; it deals with the case of an acute famine that took
place within the restricted space of an island, where social disruption
was minimal....In the first [section], the series of events that led to
the famine are presented....In the second section, the scale of excess
mortality, its distribution among occupational groups and the
short-term evolution of fertility and nuptiality during the famine will
be examined. The last section is concerned with the differential effect
of the famine on levels of mortality by age and sex. The reported
causes of death are also examined. Finally, the conclusions summarize
the main findings."
Correspondence: V. Hionidou,
University of Liverpool, Department of Geography, P.O. Box 147,
Liverpool L69 3BX, England. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20186 Hoyert, Donna L.
Mortality trends for Alzheimer's disease, 1979-91. Vital and
Health Statistics, Series 20: Data from the National Vital Statistics
System, No. 28, Pub. Order No. DHHS (PHS) 96-1856. ISBN 0-8406-0511-0.
LC 95-50806. Jan 1996. iv, 23 pp. U.S. National Center for Health
Statistics [NCHS]: Hyattsville, Maryland. In Eng.
"This report
presents basic data on Alzheimer's disease mortality [in the United
States] between 1979-91....The purpose of this report is to describe
trends for this cause of death by age, race, and sex; to describe
geographic differentials; to discuss Alzheimer's disease as a multiple
cause of death; and to present mortality data on the other dementing
conditions. Data are shown for all ages, but as this condition
primarily affects the older population, patterns for those 65 years of
age and older are emphasized."
Correspondence: U.S.
National Center for Health Statistics, 6525 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville,
MD 20782. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20187 Iribarren, Carlos; Sharp, Dan;
Burchfiel, Cecil M.; Sun, Ping; Dwyer, James H.
Association of serum total cholesterol with coronary disease and
all-cause mortality: multivariate correction for bias due to
measurement error. American Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 143, No.
5, Mar 1, 1996. 463-71 pp. Baltimore, Maryland. In Eng.
"The
authors examined the impact of measurement error in the association
between total serum cholesterol and 16-year coronary heart disease and
all-cause mortality in a cohort of 6,137 middle-aged men of Japanese
descent in the Honolulu Heart Program (1973-1988). A Cox regression
model that enables modeling of survival time with correction for
measurement errors in multiple covariates was employed. After
controlling [for various factors]...a difference of one standard
deviation...in total cholesterol was associated with a significant
increase in the risk of coronary disease death....After correction for
measurement errors in total cholesterol and covariates (except smoking
and age), the estimated hazard ratio increased to 1.65 (a 22%
increase)....The authors conclude that the impact of elevated total
cholesterol on the risk of coronary disease and all-cause mortality may
be greater than previously estimated with standard methods of analysis.
In addition, the correction for measurement error in total cholesterol
and covariates did not explain the excess mortality associated with low
total cholesterol."
Correspondence: J. H. Dwyer,
University of Southern California School of Medicine, Institute for
Prevention Research, 1540 Alcazar Street, CHP 205, Los Angeles, CA
90033. Location: Princeton University Library (SZ).
62:20188 Johnson, Jeffrey V.; Stewart, Walter;
Hall, Ellen M.; Fredlund, Peeter; Theorell, Tores.
Long-term psychosocial work environment and cardiovascular
mortality among Swedish men. American Journal of Public Health,
Vol. 86, No. 3, Mar 1996. 324-31 pp. Washington, D.C. In Eng.
The
physical effects of aspects of work organization in Sweden are explored
using data on a sample of 12,517 individuals. The data were drawn from
official surveys carried out between 1977 and 1981 and followed up for
14 years. The results indicate that long-term exposure to such
psychosocial factors as low levels of work control in the work place is
associated with increased risk of mortality from cardiovascular
disease.
Correspondence: J. V. Johnson, Johns Hopkins
School of Hygiene and Public Health, Department of Health Policy and
Management, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Science, Room 706, 624
North Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205. Location: Princeton
University Library (SZ).
62:20189 Levi, F.; La Vecchia, C.; Lucchini,
F.; Negri, E; Boyle, P. Patterns of childhood cancer
mortality: America, Asia and Oceania. Vol. 31, No. 5, 1995. 771-82
pp. Oxford, England. In Eng.
"Age-standardised mortality rates
for childhood cancers for the calendar period 1950-1989 were reviewed
for 22 countries (Canada, U.S.A., 10 Latin American countries or
territories, Egypt, seven countries or territories from Asia, Australia
and New Zealand) using data from the World Health Organization
database....Over the last three decades, the decline in childhood
cancer mortality has been over 50% in the U.S.A. and Canada,
corresponding to the avoidance of over 2,000 deaths per year in the
U.S.A. alone. Comparable declines were observed only in Puerto Rico,
and in other developed countries of the world, such as Australia,
Israel and Japan, and, to a lesser extent, New Zealand. The pattern
was, however, much less favourable in other areas of the world for
which data on childhood cancer were available, including South America
and a few countries from Asia."
Correspondence: F.
Levi, Institut Universitaire de Médecine Sociale et
Préventive, Registre Vaudois des Tumeurs, CHUV Falaises 1, 1011
Lausanne, Switzerland. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
62:20190 Meslé, France; Shkolnikov,
Vladimir; Hertrich, Véronique; Vallin, Jacques.
Recent trends in causes of death in Russia, 1965-1993.
[Tendances récentes de la mortalité par cause en Russie,
1965-1993.] INED Dossiers et Recherches, No. 50, Dec 1995. 68 pp.
Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques [INED]: Paris, France.
In Fre.
This is the first report in a planned series that will
examine recent trends in causes of death in the various countries that
constituted the former Soviet Union. This report is concerned with the
situation in Russia and has chapters on trends in life expectancy and
in age-specific mortality, the collection and quality of mortality
data, the reconstruction of series of cause-of-death statistics with
constant definitions, and trends in causes of
death.
Correspondence: Institut National d'Etudes
Démographiques, 27 rue du Commandeur, 75675 Paris Cedex 14,
France. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20191 Prati, Sabrina. A method
of analysis and interpretation of concurrent risks of cause-specific
mortality. [Une methode d'analyse et d'interpretation des risques
concurrents de mortalité par cause.] Population, Vol. 50, No.
4-5, Jul-Oct 1995. 1,013-30 pp. Paris, France. In Fre. with sum. in
Eng; Spa.
"All individuals during their lifetimes are exposed
to mortality from different causes, which are competing risks. Several
statistical models have attempted to deal with this problem, but most
start with the easier hypothesis that the risks are independent of each
other....In [some] cases, it is preferable to introduce individual
factors into the analysis (e.g. bio-physiological characteristics or
lifestyles). These factors can be used to predict overall mortality
rates or those for some major causes of death. A logistic model was
applied to individual data obtained from a long-term longitudinal
study. A vector of probabilities (one for every possible cause) was
estimated for each individual. Various issues relating to competing
mortality risks from different causes may be approached from a new
angle."
Correspondence: S. Prati, Università
degli Studi di Roma la Sapienza, Via Nomentana 41, Rome 00161, Italy.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20192 Ranganathan, H. N.; Rode, P.
P. On a method of estimating level of maternal mortality
in rural India from limited data. Demography India, Vol. 23, No.
1-2, Jan-Dec 1994. 133-42 pp. Delhi, India. In Eng.
"A simple
methodology is presented in this paper which can be profitably used to
ascertain the MMR [maternal mortality rate] annually in India as well
as various states for rural areas by utilising the limited data
available at present....The MMR ascertained from the methodology
compares well with those of independent studies not only at the
national level but also at subnational levels and this close agreement
gives validity to data sources utilized in the methodology. The
methodology has many advantages. In the first place, MMR can be
ascertained annually. Second, the MMR can be known not only at the
national level but also at the state level. Third, no funds are
necessary for estimating the MMR as the methodology makes use of the
available data."
Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20193 Rehm, Jürgen; Sempos,
Christopher T. Alcohol consumption and all-cause
mortality. Addiction, Vol. 90, No. 4, Apr 1995. 471-98 pp. Oxford,
England. In Eng.
"Based on a large U.S. representative cohort
with detailed baseline interview and examination data, the relationship
between alcohol consumption and all-cause mortality is examined over a
period of 15 years follow-up. Results show a significant linear
relationship for females and males under 60 years of age at baseline,
and a non-significant U-shape for the older ones. Both results remain
stable for different kinds of adjustment including adjustment for
nutritional variables and smoking. Excluding people with heart disease
history at baseline leads to an even more pronounced linear
relationship for both males and females under 60 years of age.
Furthermore, it is shown that the curvilinear relationship for men
found in previous research is partly due to the age groups
examined." Comments are included (pp. 481-93) by Peter Anderson,
John C. Duffy, Roberta Ferrence and Lynn T. Kozlowski, A. G. Shaper,
Ole-Jørgen Skog, and Maurizio Trevisan. A reply by Rehm and
Sempos is also included (pp. 493-98).
Correspondence: J.
Rehm, Addiction Research Foundation, Social Evaluation and Research, 33
Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2S1, Canada. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20194 Salinas, Manuel; Vega,
Jeanette. The effect of outdoor air pollution on mortality
risk: an ecological study from Santiago, Chile. World Health
Statistics Quarterly/Rapport Trimestriel de Statistiques Sanitaires
Mondiales, Vol. 48, No. 2, 1995. 118-25 pp. Geneva, Switzerland. In
Eng. with sum. in Fre.
"The aim of this ecological study was
to investigate the effect of outdoor air pollution on the mortality
risk of metropolitan inhabitants in Santiago de Chile. Cause-specific
deaths by the day for the years 1988-1991 in Santiago de Chile were
extracted from mortality data tapes of the National Center for
Statistics. Deaths from accidents were excluded. Total and some
specific respiratory diseases deaths were compared calculating the risk
of death by municipality and month of the year using age-adjusted
standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) controlling for socioeconomic
level....A clear pattern in the geographical distribution of risk of
death, both for general mortality and specific respiratory causes
(pneumonia, [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] and asthma) was
found using SMR, with higher values in the most polluted areas
regardless of socioeconomic and living conditions. A highly significant
positive association was found between total mortality and both fine
suspended particles and CO level."
Correspondence: M.
Salinas, Catholic University of Chile, Casilla 114-D, Santiago, Chile.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20195 Shkolnikov, Vladimir; Meslé,
France; Vallin, Jacques. Health crisis in Russia. I.
Recent trends in life expectancy and causes of death from 1970 to
1993. [La crise sanitaire en Russie. I. Tendances récentes
de l'espérance de vie et des causes de décès de
1970 a 1993.] Population, Vol. 50, No. 4-5, Jul-Oct 1995. 907-43 pp.
Paris, France. In Fre. with sum. in Eng; Spa.
"Since the
mid-1960s, the trend of life expectancy at birth in Russia has differed
from...other Western populations....After 1987, the fall in life
expectancy continued for both sexes, and even accelerated in
1993....Unpublished data on causes of death have made it possible to
construct time series for the period from 1970 to 1993 for deaths
classified into the 185 causes in the Soviet classification of causes
of death. Increases in the prevalence of cardio-vascular diseases which
the health system was unable to treat have contributed to the long-term
negative trend. Deaths from violence were responsible for fluctuations
towards the end of the 1980s. Finally, the recent fall in life
expectancy in 1993 applies to deaths from all causes and is undoubtedly
related to the economic crisis in that year which contributed to the
disorganization of the health system."
Correspondence:
F. Meslé, Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques,
27 rue du Commandeur, 75675 Paris Cedex 14, France. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20196 Shkolnikov, Vladimir; Meslé,
France; Vallin, Jacques. Health crisis in Russia. II.
Changes in causes of deaths: a comparison with France and England from
1970 to 1993. [La crise sanitaire en Russie. II. Evolution des
causes de décès: comparaison avec la France et
l'Angleterre (1970-1993).] Population, Vol. 50, No. 4-5, Jul-Oct 1995.
945-82 pp. Paris, France. In Fre. with sum. in Eng; Spa.
"In
order to increase our understanding of the unfavourable trend in
Russian mortality after the 1960s, we compare it with the trends in two
Western countries, France and England and Wales, for which continuous
series of deaths by cause are available for the same period. The
increasing gap between Russia and the other two countries is largely
due to diverging trends in mortality from cardio-vascular diseases.
After 1970, mortality from this group of causes decreased in France and
Britain, but increased in Russia. Deaths from violence also contributed
to this difference....However, some causes of death are less
unfavourable in Russia. Except in 1993, deaths from infectious diseases
and from diseases of the respiratory system have declined. Mortality
from neoplasms is equal to that in France and England for men, and is
lower for women."
Correspondence: F. Meslé,
Institut National d'Etudes Démographiques, 27 rue du Commandeur,
75675 Paris Cedex 14, France. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
62:20197 Surault, Pierre.
Changing patterns in suicide in France. [Variations sur les
variations du suicide en France.] Population, Vol. 50, No. 4-5, Jul-Oct
1995. 983-1,012 pp. Paris, France. In Fre. with sum. in Eng; Spa.
"Between 1950 and 1990 movements in the suicide rate [in
France] differed by sex, age, and period. In particular, suicide by
young people increased steadily after World War II. The higher suicide
rate recorded during the 1960s spread to all age groups between 1976
and the middle 1980s, when the trend was reversed in all generations.
The unexpected and poorly documented break during the mid 1980s appears
to be a period effect. Hypothetical explanations for these movements
have suggested a renewal of social bonds, and more specifically a
strengthening of family ties which had been under strain since the
1960s, improvements in medical and psychiatric services for the most
vulnerable, and changed social and economic conditions, e.g. massive
unemployment, insecurity, greater social inequalities and early
exclusion from the labour market."
Correspondence: P.
Surault, Université de Poitiers, Faculté de Sciences
Economiques, 15 rue de Blossac, 86034 Poitiers Cedex, France.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20198 Sytkowski, Pamela A.; D'Agostino,
Ralph B.; Belanger, Albert; Kannel, William B. Sex and
time trends in cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality: the
Framingham Heart Study, 1950-1989. American Journal of
Epidemiology, Vol. 143, No. 4, Feb 15, 1996. 338-50 pp. Baltimore,
Maryland. In Eng.
"The purpose of the present study was to
describe sex and time differences in 20-year cardiovascular disease
incidence and mortality among women and men in the Framingham Study
[Massachusetts] and to relate these to secular trends and sex
differences in cardiovascular risk factors." The results suggest
that "more than half of the 51% decline in coronary heart disease
mortality observed in women between 1950 and 1989 and one third to one
half of the 44% decline observed in men could be attributed to
improvements in risk factors in the 1970
cohorts."
Correspondence: P. A. Sytkowski, Boston
University, Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Consulting Unit,
Framingham Heart Study, 111 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215.
Location: Princeton University Library (SZ).
62:20199 Tardon, A. G.; Zaplana, J.;
Hernandez, R.; Cueto, A. Usefulness of the codification of
multiple causes of death in mortality statistics. International
Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 24, No. 6, Dec 1995. 1,132-7 pp. Oxford,
England. In Eng.
"The aim of this work was to carry out a
comparative study of the mortality statistics by coding of multiple
causes with those of selection and coding of underlying cause in order
to be able to identify the diseases that the official mortality
statistics have underestimated (selection of underlying cause)." A
sample of 595 death certificates in Asturias, Spain, was analyzed for
the year 1988. "More than 80% of the certificates studied
contained more than one cause of death. Chronic diseases are those
which are accompanied by a greater number of causes and acute diseases
those which appear alone. The highest ratios appear for diseases which
are ill defined and also in those which are chronic....Our data show
that information is lost in the production of the statistics of
mortality and there are repercussions for the usefulness of these
statistics."
Correspondence: A. G. Tardon, Department
of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, c/Julian Clavería
s/n, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
62:20200 United States. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention [CDC] (Atlanta, Georgia). Update:
mortality attributable to HIV infection among persons aged 25-44
years--United States, 1994. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report,
Vol. 45, No. 6, Feb 16, 1996. 121-5 pp. Atlanta, Georgia. In Eng.
"This report updates [U.S.] trends in deaths caused by HIV
infection in 1994, which continue to increase....Rates were calculated
using midyear U.S. population estimates based on decennial census data
compiled by the U.S. Bureau of the Census....In 1994, an estimated
41,930 U.S. residents died from HIV infection, a 9% increase over the
estimated 38,500 in 1993; of these, 3% were aged <25 years; 72%
[were aged] 25-44 years; and 25% [were aged] >45 years. HIV
infection was the eighth leading cause of death overall, accounting for
2% of all deaths. Among persons aged 25-44 years, HIV infection was the
leading cause of death and accounted for 19% of deaths in this age
group."
Correspondence: U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, AIDS Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 6003, Rockville,
MD 20849-6003. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20201 van Loon, A. Jeanne M.; Brug,
Johannes; Goldbohm, R. Alexandra; van den Brandt, Piet A.
Differences in cancer incidence and mortality among socioeconomic
groups. Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine, Vol. 23, No. 2,
1995. 110-20 pp. Stockholm, Sweden. In Eng.
"In this article
studies on the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and
[cancer incidence and mortality] at different sites are reviewed....The
review is restricted to studies conducted in affluent societies, after
1970. Only studies using income, education and/or occupation as SES
indicators are included....A more or less consistent positive
association between SES and cancer risk was found for colon and breast
cancer. More or less consistent inverse associations were found for
lung, stomach, oropharyngeal and esophageal cancer. Inconsistent
associations were reported for cancer of the rectum and pancreas.
Possible explanations for SES differences in cancer risk are discussed
with special emphasis on lifestyle variables related to cancer
risk....It is concluded that it is still unclear whether the reported
associations can be (partially) attributed to the lifestyle related
risk factors for cancer such as smoking, nutritional habits, drinking
habits and reproductive factors."
Correspondence: A.
J. M. van Loon, University of Limburg, Department of Epidemiology, P.O.
Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, Netherlands. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
62:20202 Westerling, Ragnar.
Systematic small-area variation in mortality for malignant
neoplasms in Sweden 1975-1990. International Journal of
Epidemiology, Vol. 24, No. 6, Dec 1995. 1,086-93 pp. Oxford, England.
In Eng.
"The variation in total and cause-specific cancer
mortality among health administrative areas in Sweden was analysed in
order to find out if the mortality outcome has been equally
distributed....Data on underlying causes of death for ages 0-74 years
were analysed for the 26 health administrative areas in Sweden,
1975-1990....The systematic variance for all malignant neoplasms was
reduced by about 40% during the study period. The largest systematic
variations in mortality were found for cancer of the oesophagus and
lung....Large systematic variation was also found for cancer of the
cervix uteri and of the bladder....Generally speaking, the outcome of
cancer has become more equally distributed across the country.
Preventive measures should be possible for the malignant neoplasms with
the largest regional variation."
Correspondence: R.
Westerling, Uppsala University, Department of Social Medicine,
Akademiska Sjukhuset, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
62:20203 Wilmoth, John R. Are
mortality projections always more pessimistic when disaggregated by
cause of death? Mathematical Population Studies, Vol. 5, No. 4,
1995. 293-319, 377 pp. Amsterdam, Netherlands. In Eng. with sum. in
Fre.
"It is often observed that mortality projections are more
pessimistic when disaggregated by cause of death. This article explores
the generality and strength of this relationship under a variety of
forecasting models. First, a simple measure of the pessimism inherent
in cause-based mortality forecasts is derived. Second, it is shown that
the pessimism of cause-based forecasts can be approximated using only
data on the distribution of deaths by cause in two pervious time
periods. Third, using Japanese mortality data during 1951-1990, the
analysis demonstrates that the pessimism of cause-based forecasts can
be attributed mainly to observed trends in mortality due to cancer and
heart disease, with smaller contribution due to trends in stroke (women
only), pneumonia/bronchitis, accidents, and suicide. The last point
requires the important qualification, however, that observed trends in
cancer and heart disease may be severely biased due to changes in
diagnostic practice."
Correspondence: J. R. Wilmoth,
University of California, Department of Demography, 2232 Piedmont
Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94720-2120. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
62:20204 Writer, James V.; DeFraites, Robert
F.; Brundage, John F. Comparative mortality among U.S.
military personnel in the Persian Gulf region and worldwide during
Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. JAMA: Journal of the
American Medical Association, Vol. 275, No. 2, Jan 10, 1996. 118-21 pp.
Chicago, Illinois. In Eng.
The authors examine cause-specific
mortality rates among U.S. troops stationed in the Persian Gulf region
and make comparisons with the rates among U.S. troops serving in other
areas during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. They conclude
that "except for deaths from unintentional injury, U.S. troops in
the Persian Gulf region did not experience significantly higher
mortality rates than U.S. troops serving elsewhere. There were no
clusters of unexplained deaths. The number and circumstances of
nonbattle deaths among Persian Gulf troops were typical for the U.S.
military population."
Correspondence: J. V. Writer,
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Division of Preventive
Medicine, Washington, D.C. 20307-5100. Location: Princeton
University Library (SZ).
62:20205 Wunsch, Guillaume; Thiltges,
Evelyne. Reorder the disorder: disturbance and
standardization variables. [Une confusion standardisée:
variables confondantes et standardisation.] Genus, Vol. 51, No. 3-4,
Jul-Dec 1995. 27-59 pp. Rome, Italy. In Fre. with sum. in Eng; Ita.
"Spatial variations in crude death rates by cause-of-death may
result among others from differences in the age structures of the
populations of the regions and/or from the small numbers of deaths at
certain ages or for certain cause-of-death. This paper addresses, on
the one hand, the issue of controlling the impact of age structures (or
of confounding factors, generally speaking) and, on the other hand,
that of the chance variations in the results of the various
standardization methods. Standardization is considered here from the
viewpoint of causal modelling: controlling for age structures is a
special case of controlling for confounding variables when using
aggregate data. From this point of view, we have evaluated and compared
the different standardization techniques and their ability to control
for confounding factors. The construction of significance tests and
confidence intervals has been pursued in order to evaluate the methods
from the point of view of the statistical robustness of the
standardized indices."
Correspondence: G. Wunsch,
Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut de
Démographie, Collège Jacques Leclercq, 1 place
Montesquieu, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
