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.
65:40209 Andreev, Evgueni. The
dynamics of mortality in the Russian Federation. In: Health and
mortality: issues of global concern. Proceedings of the Symposium on
Health and Mortality, Brussels, 19-22 November 1997, edited by J.
Chamie and R. L. Cliquet. 1999. 262-90 pp. Centrum voor Bevolkings- en
Gezinsstudiën [CBGS]: Brussels, Belgium; UN Department of Economic
and Social Affairs: New York, New York. In Eng.
The three stated
purposes of this paper are to describe mortality trends in Russia since
World War II, to analyze those factors that explain the differences in
mortality between Russia and the developed countries of the West, and
to assess the prospects for further mortality decline in the country.
Topics covered include trends in age-specific mortality, causes of
death, mortality differentials by educational status, and regional
differences in mortality. "A decline in the expectation of life of
Russia's population has been observed for a period of more than 30
years. Under the circumstances, the pessimistic but most likely
prospect is that the decline will continue." On the more positive
side, the author notes an improvement in the quality and accessibility
of vital statistics data, and the beginnings of a more constructive
social response to these negative mortality
trends.
Correspondence: E. Andreev, Research Institute of
Statistics Goskomstat of Russia, Department of Demography, Izmailovskoe
Shosse 44, 105679 Moscow, Russia. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
65:40210 Barlow, Robin; Vissandjée,
Bilkis. Determinants of national life expectancy.
Canadian Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 20, No. 1, 1999. 9-29 pp.
Ottawa, Canada. In Eng. with sum. in Fre.
"This paper presents
a multivariate cross-national analysis of life expectancy at birth in
1990. A model of life expectancy is used which distinguishes between
proximate and distal determinants, and measures the direct and indirect
effects of the distal variables. It is found that literacy, per capita
income, and access to safe water supplies have significantly positive
effects on life expectancy. Fertility and tropical location have
significant negative effects, and per capita food consumption of animal
products shows an inverted-U relationship with life expectancy. Per
capita health expenditure and the urbanization rate appear to be weak
determinants."
Correspondence: R. Barlow, University
of Michigan, Department of Epidemiology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029.
Location: Princeton University Library (SF).
65:40211 Bopp, M.; Gutzwiller, F.
All-cause mortality trends in Switzerland since 1950.
[Entwicklung der Mortalität in der Schweiz seit 1950.]
Schweizerische Medizinische Wochenschrift/Journal Suisse de
Médecine/Swiss Medical Weekly, Vol. 129, No. 20-21, May 1999.
760-71; 799-809 pp. Basel, Switzerland. In Ger. with sum. in Eng.
This two-part article analyzes trends in all-cause mortality in
Switzerland since 1950. In the first part, the authors examine
differences in mortality by sex, age, and nationality and make
comparisons with other European countries. In the second part, they
look at geographical differences in mortality within Switzerland.
Problems concerning data on mortality for foreigners are noted, which
need to be taken into account when making international comparisons.
"Geographical differences in mortality risks within Switzerland,
as well as international disparities, suggest that there is a need for
preventive measures in Switzerland, first and foremost concerning males
aged 15-49 years and deaths from `external'
causes."
Correspondence: M. Bopp, Universität
Zurich, Institut für Sozial- und Präventivmedizin,
Sumatrastrasse 30, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40212 Cárdenas, Rosario.
The epidemiological transition in Mexico: what the data on cause of
death reveal. In: Health and mortality: issues of global concern.
Proceedings of the Symposium on Health and Mortality, Brussels, 19-22
November 1997, edited by J. Chamie and R. L. Cliquet. 1999. 158-80 pp.
Centrum voor Bevolkings- en Gezinsstudiën [CBGS]: Brussels,
Belgium; UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: New York, New
York. In Eng.
Recent mortality trends in Mexico are examined.
"By analysing cause of death data, this paper aims at identifying:
(a) the main characteristics of the epidemiological profile of Mexico;
(b) causes for changes in life expectancy; and (c) the main causes of
premature mortality." The results suggest that, despite a long
period of economic recession which started in 1982, mortality has
steadily declined over time. "The results reported in this paper
have been brought about mainly by a combination of factors. They
include sustained public health efforts such as the immunization
campaigns which resulted in the eradication of polio; a demographic
change in the age-structure, which is a consequence in turn of the
increase in life expectancy; and to a certain extent, the wider
availability of medical services."
Correspondence: R.
Cárdenas, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Unidad
Xochimilco, Calz. del Hueso 1100, Col. Villa Quietud, 04960 Mexico
City, DF, Mexico. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
65:40213 Chackiel, Juan.
Mortality in Latin America. In: Health and mortality: issues
of global concern. Proceedings of the Symposium on Health and
Mortality, Brussels, 19-22 November 1997, edited by J. Chamie and R. L.
Cliquet. 1999. 132-57 pp. Centrum voor Bevolkings- en
Gezinsstudiën [CBGS]: Brussels, Belgium; UN Department of Economic
and Social Affairs: New York, New York. In Eng.
This is a review of
the general situation concerning mortality in Latin America. The
emphasis is on developments in adult mortality. There are sections on
the availability and quality of data; mortality trends; mortality by
sex, age and cause of death; mortality transition and epidemiological
transition; and mortality differentials according to socioeconomic
variables.
Correspondence: J. Chackiel, UN Centro
Latinoamericano y Caribeño de Demografía, Edificio
Naciones Unidas, Avenida Dag Hammarskjold, Casilla 91, Santiago, Chile.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40214 Charbit, Yves; Régnard,
Corinne. Population dynamics and geographical patterns of
African populations. [Dynamiques démographiques et
dimensions géographiques des populations africaines.] Espace,
Populations, Sociétés, No. 1, 1999. 13-27 pp. Villeneuve
d'Ascq, France. In Fre. with sum. in Eng.
"This paper assesses
changes in the trends of mortality and fertility and the influence of
urbanization on both variables [in Sub-Saharan Africa]. A regional
analysis shows that [contrary] to the theory of demographic transition,
urbanization does not necessarily induce a decline of fertility and of
mortality. Other factors must be taken into account, for instance the
supply of health care."
Correspondence: Y. Charbit,
Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches sur les Populations Africaines et
Asiatiques, 45 rue des Saints Pères, 75005 Paris, France.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40215 Doblhammer, Gabriele.
Longevity and month of birth: evidence from Austria and
Denmark. Demographic Research, Vol. 1, 1999. Rostock, Germany. In
Eng.
"This article shows that in two European countries,
Austria and Denmark, a person's life span correlates with his or her
month of birth. It presents evidence that this pattern is not the
result of the seasonal distribution of death. It also shows that the
seasonal pattern in longevity cannot be explained by the so-called
birthday effect--the alleged tendency of people to die shortly after
their birthday. The article concludes with a discussion of possible
social and biological mechanisms related to a person's season of birth
that might influence life expectancy."
Correspondence:
G. Doblhammer, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research,
Doberaner Straße 114, 18057 Rostock, Germany.
65:40216 Ecclestone, Martin.
Mortality of rural landless men before the Black Death: the
Glastonbury head-tax lists. Local Population Studies, No. 63,
Autumn 1999. 6-29 pp. Colchester, England. In Eng.
An attempt is
made to estimate mortality among landless rural men in
fourteenth-century England using data from court rolls of manors owned
by Glastonbury Abbey.
Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
65:40217 Edmondson, Brad. The
facts of death. American Demographics, Vol. 19, No. 4, Apr 1997.
46-53 pp. Stamford, Connecticut. In Eng.
The author briefly
characterizes recent mortality trends in the United States. Aspects
considered include sex, time of year, place of death, date of birth and
age, city and state of birth, race, Hispanic origin, education, marital
status, cause of death, and autopsy incidence.
Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40218 Gerylovová, Anna;
Holcík, Jan. Life expectancy in regions and
districts of the Czech Republic. [Strední délka
zivota v krajích a okresech Ceské republiky.] Demografie,
Vol. 41, No. 3, 1999. 184-92 pp. Prague, Czech Republic. In Cze. with
sum. in Eng.
The authors provide a regional analysis of life
expectancy at birth in the Czech Republic from 1981 to 1995. Particular
attention is paid to differences by sex, age, and
district.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40219 Hanzek, Matjaz; Turnsek,
Nada. Lifestyles and mortality in European countries.
[Zivljenjski slog in umrljivost v evropskih drzavah.] Druzboslovne
Razprave, Vol. 13, No. 24-25, 1997. 118-32, 207 pp. Ljubljana,
Slovenia. In Slv. with sum. in Eng.
An analysis of the relationship
between lifestyle and mortality is presented using data on the
countries of Europe. "Using the method of multi-dimensional
cluster analysis...[the authors] identified 12 groups of countries in
Europe--six in the East and six in the West--which resemble each other
in terms of causes of death and mortality patterns. The border between
an eastern and a western lifestyle runs through the countries of the
former Austro-Hungarian Empire."
Correspondence: N.
Turnsek, Univerza v Ljubljani, Pedagoska Fakulteta, Kardeljeva Ploscad
16, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
65:40220 Hill, Kenneth. The
measurement of adult mortality: an assessment of data availability,
data quality and estimation methods. In: Health and mortality:
issues of global concern. Proceedings of the Symposium on Health and
Mortality, Brussels, 19-22 November 1997, edited by J. Chamie and R. L.
Cliquet. 1999. 72-83 pp. Centrum voor Bevolkings- en Gezinsstudiën
[CBGS]: Brussels, Belgium; UN Department of Economic and Social
Affairs: New York, New York. In Eng.
"This paper first reviews
data sources relevant to the measurement of adult mortality, then data
availability from each source, and finally the analytical methods
available to use the data from these sources. The paper concludes with
a discussion of appropriate strategies for countries in order to
improve their adult mortality estimates." The primary focus is on
the situation in developing countries.
Correspondence: K.
Hill, Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health,
Population Center, 615 North Wolfe Street, Room 2300, Baltimore, MD
21205-2179. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40221 Horiuchi, Shiro.
Epidemiological transitions in human history. In: Health and
mortality: issues of global concern. Proceedings of the Symposium on
Health and Mortality, Brussels, 19-22 November 1997, edited by J.
Chamie and R. L. Cliquet. 1999. 54-71 pp. Centrum voor Bevolkings- en
Gezinsstudiën [CBGS]: Brussels, Belgium; UN Department of Economic
and Social Affairs: New York, New York. In Eng.
"This paper
has presented a five-stage model of the epidemiological transition of
human mortality, and also describes some possible reverse transitions.
The model is a combination of a generalisation of past patterns and a
prospect of future changes. Since the actual pattern of historical
mortality change varies among countries and regions, it may not be
difficult to find specific cases that do not fit the model well. The
main purpose of this model, however, is to provide a bird's-eye view of
a typical course of mortality history in human societies. The model can
be used as a conceptual framework for describing, analysing, and
predicting actual mortality trends in the past and
future."
Correspondence: S. Horiuchi, Rockefeller
University, Laboratory of Population, New York, NY 10021-6399.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40222 Hoyert, Donna L.; Kochanek, Kenneth
D.; Murphy, Sherry L. Deaths: final data for 1997.
NCHS National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 47, No. 19, Jun 30, 1999.
104 pp. U.S. National Center for Health Statistics [NCHS]: Hyattsville,
Maryland. In Eng.
"This report presents final 1997 data on
U.S. deaths and death rates according to demographic and medical
characteristics such as age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital
status, educational attainment, injury at work, State of residence, and
cause of death. Trends and patterns in general mortality, life
expectancy, and infant and maternal mortality are also
described."
Correspondence: U.S. National Center for
Health Statistics, 6525 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782-2003.
E-mail: nchsquery@cdc.gov. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
65:40223 Johansson, Sven-Erik; Sundquist,
Jan. Change in lifestyle factors and their influence on
health status and all-cause mortality. International Journal of
Epidemiology, Vol. 28, No. 6, Dec 1999. 1,073-80 pp. Oxford, England.
In Eng.
"The purpose of this study was to analyse both
cross-sectional associations and how longitudinal changes in lifestyle
factors from one state in 1980-1981 to another in 1988-1989 influence
self-reported health status. Another aim was to estimate the hazard
ratios for all-cause mortality for the changes in lifestyle factors and
self-reported hypertension during the same period of time. The
cross-sectional and the longitudinal analyses are based on the same
simple random sample of 3,843 adults, aged 25-74, interviewed in
1980-1981 and 1988-1989 and is part of the Swedish Annual
Level-of-Living Survey." Factors considered include physical
activity, smoking, and body mass index (BMI). The results suggest that
"physical activity protects against poor health irrespective of an
increased BMI and smoking. The major clinical implications are the
long-standing benefits of physical activity and not
smoking."
Correspondence: S.-E. Johansson, Statistics
Sweden, Department of Welfare and Social Statistics, Box 24300, 104 51
Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail: svenerik.johansson@scb.se. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40224 Kunst, Anton E.; Wolleswinkel-van den
Bosch, Judith H.; Mackenbach, Johan P. Medical demography
in the Netherlands: recent advances, future challenges. In:
Population issues: an interdisciplinary focus, edited by Leo J. G. van
Wissen and Pearl A. Dykstra. 1999. 187-228 pp. Kluwer Academic/Plenum
Publishers: New York, New York/Dordrecht, Netherlands. In Eng.
"This chapter provides an overview of medical demographic
research conducted in the Netherlands during the 1990s. The methods and
principal findings are discussed of studies on: (a) past trends in
mortality, (b) current mortality differentials, (c) future trends in
mortality, (d) future trends in morbidity, and (e) the consequences of
these trends for health care demand, cost and financing. Compared with
the late 1980s, significant advances have been made in all these fields
of research. Studies that combined advanced data acquisition with
multivariate statistical techniques have succeeded to move from
description to explanation of mortality trends or differentials.
Studies that applied sophisticated population-based models have greatly
improved the projection of future trends in mortality and
morbidity."
Correspondence: A. E. Kunst, Erasmus
University, Department of Public Health, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR
Rotterdam, Netherlands. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
65:40225 Mansfield, Christopher J.; Wilson,
James L.; Kobrinski, Edward J.; Mitchell, Jim. Premature
mortality in the United States: the roles of geographic area,
socioeconomic status, household type, and availability of medical
care. American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 89, No. 6, Jun 1999.
893-8 pp. Washington, D.C. In Eng.
"This study examined
premature mortality by county in the United States and assessed its
association with metro/urban/rural geographic location, socioeconomic
status, household type, and availability of medical care.... Premature
mortality was greatest in rural counties in the South-east and
Southwest.... Community structure factors explained more than
availability of medical care. The proportions of female-headed
households and Black populations were the strongest
predictors...."
Correspondence: C. J. Mansfield, East
Carolina University, Center for Health Services Research and
Development, Building N, Physicians Quadrangle, Greenville, NC 27858.
E-mail: mansfield@brody.med.ecu.edu. Location: Princeton
University Library (SZ).
65:40226 Michel, Harald.
Mortality decline in eighteenth-century Germany--component,
prerequisite, or precursor of the demographic transition?
[Sterblichkeitsrückgang im 18. Jahrhundert in
Deutschland--Bestandteil, Voraussetzung oder Vorläufer der
demographischen Transition?] Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift der
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin: Reihe Gesellschaftswissenschaften,
Vol. 39, No. 4, 1990. 367-9 pp. Berlin, Germany. In Ger.
The
temporary mortality decline that occurred in Germany between 1700 and
1750 is discussed in relation to the permanent demographic transition
that took place a century later. Its primary cause seems to have been
improved agricultural productivity and absence of pandemics in this
period. The author argues that the resulting moderate population
increase was a factor in stimulating the industrial revolution and
thereby the demographic transition proper.
Correspondence:
H. Michel, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Sektion
Wirtschaftwissenschaften, Spandauer Straße 1, Berlin 1020,
Germany. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40227 Ngongo, Kypa N.; Nante, Nicola;
Chenet, Laurent; McKee, Martin. What has contributed to
the change in life expectancy in Italy between 1980 and 1992?
Health Policy, Vol. 48, No. 1, Jul 1999. 1-12 pp. Limerick, Ireland. In
Eng.
"Life expectancy at birth in southern Europe is known to
be greater than expected in comparison with levels of economic
development. This has been attributed to the `Mediterranean diet'.
There are, however, concerns that this comparative advantage is being
lost. This paper examines the factors underlying changing life
expectancy in Italy since 1980. The subjects of this analysis are
obtained from data on all deaths in Italy between 1980 and 1992. Change
in age specific death rates is calculated from selected causes and,
using the method developed by Pollard, the contribution of deaths from
different causes and at different ages to changing life expectancy at
birth is estimated."
Correspondence: M. McKee, London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, European Center for Health on
Societies in Transition, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, England.
E-mail: M.McKee@lshtm.ac.uk. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
65:40228 Park, Kyung-Ae. Recent
trends and patterns of mortality in Korea. Development and
Society, Vol. 27, No. 2, Dec 1998. 67-81 pp. Seoul, Korea. In Eng.
"Korea continues to experience rapid demographic transition
and population aging. This study examines mortality trends and patterns
[in South Korea] between 1985-1995. Various death rates and ratios are
calculated using death registration data. Mortality trends are analyzed
by regression analysis, and life tables are constructed." Trends
are examined according to causes of death, sex, and
age.
Correspondence: K.-A. Park, National Statistical
Office, Vital Statistics Division, 647-15 Yoksam-dong, Ilangnam-gu,
Seoul, Republic of Korea. E-mail: kap@nso.go.kr. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40229 Shkolnikov, Vladimir M.
The Russian health crisis of the 1990s in mortality
dimensions. Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies
Working Paper Series, No. 97.01, Mar 1997. Harvard University, Center
for Population and Development Studies: Cambridge, Massachusetts. In
Eng.
This paper focuses on the increase in Russian mortality during
the 1990s. This "is primarily related to enormous increases in
mortality from external causes of death and premature deaths from
cardiovascular diseases in adult ages. Sharp rises in mortality from
homicides, accidental poisonings by alcohol, and suicides suggest
growing alcoholism and criminal activity in the country. Reversals in
mortality due to infectious diseases and some avoidable causes of death
indicate degradation in health sanitary systems. Upturns in mortality
rates for ill-defined categories and in deaths with unspecified age are
probably linked with incomplete recording of violent death and growing
number of deaths of homeless or marginal people. Mortality increase was
steeper in towns than in rural areas. Regional differences in life
expectancy became substantially wider due to greater decreases in many
territories of the North and Siberia and also in Moscow and St.
Petersburg. Mortality increase was probably more pronounced among the
less educated people."
Correspondence: Harvard
University, Center for Population and Development Studies, 9 Bow
Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.
65:40230 Smith, Betty L.; Martin, Joyce A.;
Ventura, Stephanie J. Births and deaths: preliminary data
for July 1997-June 1998. NCHS National Vital Statistics Reports,
Vol. 47, No. 22, Jul 29, 1999. 31 pp. U.S. National Center for Health
Statistics [NCHS]: Hyattsville, Maryland. In Eng.
"This report
presents preliminary data on births and deaths in the United States
from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for the 12 months
ending June 1998. U.S. data on births are shown by age, race, and
Hispanic origin of mother. Natality data on marital status, prenatal
care, cesarean delivery, and low birthweight are also presented.
Mortality data presented include leading causes of death and infant
mortality."
Correspondence: U.S. National Center for
Health Statistics, 6525 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782-2003.
E-mail: nchsquery@cdc.gov. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
65:40231 Tabeau, Ewa; Ekamper, Peter; Huisman,
Corina; Bosch, Alinda. Improving overall mortality
forecasts by analysing cause-of-death, period and cohort effects in
trends. European Journal of Population/Revue Européenne de
Démographie, Vol. 15, No. 2, Jun 1999. 153-83 pp. Dordrecht,
Netherlands. In Eng. with sum. in Fre.
"The major goal of this
study is to propose improvements in the methods for forecasting overall
mortality. In order to reach this goal, three types of trend-oriented
forecasts have been studied. Each type of forecast is conditional on
developments in one of the three factors, period, cohort and cause of
death, which are know to represent symptomatic measures of certain
causal mechanisms. Mortality projections have been made for four
developed European countries: France, Italy, the Netherlands and
Norway. The projections are based on observed mortality data over the
years 1950-1994 and cohorts born in the nineteenth and twentieth
century. The results of the analyses do not show a best solution,
though the cause-of-death approach looks the most promising. However,
the period and cohort approaches certainly have additional value in the
forecasting process."
Correspondence: E. Tabeau,
Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute, Lange Houtstraat
19, Postbus 11650, 2502 AR The Hague, Netherlands. E-mail:
tabeau@nidi.nl. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40232 Timæus, Ian M.
Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Health and mortality:
issues of global concern. Proceedings of the Symposium on Health and
Mortality, Brussels, 19-22 November 1997, edited by J. Chamie and R. L.
Cliquet. 1999. 110-31 pp. Centrum voor Bevolkings- en
Gezinsstudiën [CBGS]: Brussels, Belgium; UN Department of Economic
and Social Affairs: New York, New York. In Eng.
This is a general
review of the situation concerning mortality in Africa south of the
Sahara. There are sections on availability of data, infant and child
mortality, and adult mortality. The author notes an improvement in data
availability because of the Demographic and Health Survey program,
although major gaps in the available data on adult mortality, and in
particular on AIDS mortality, still persist.
Correspondence:
I. M. Timæus, London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine, Centre for Population Studies, Department of Epidemiology and
Population Sciences, 49-51 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3DP, England.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40233 United States. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention [CDC] (Atlanta, Georgia). Mortality
patterns--United States, 1997. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report, Vol. 48, No. 30, Aug 6, 1999. 664-8 pp. Atlanta, Georgia. In
Eng.
"In 1997, a total of 2,314,245 deaths were registered in
the United States--445 fewer than the record high of 2,314,690 in 1996.
The overall age-adjusted death rate was 479.1 per 100,000 standard
(1940) population, the lowest ever recorded. In 1997, nearly two thirds
of deaths resulted from heart disease, cancer, and stroke. This report
summarizes mortality patterns in 1997 and compares them with patterns
in 1996."
Correspondence: Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40234 Valkovics, Emil. On some
properties of mortality rates. Hungarian Statistical Review, Vol.
77, No. 3, 1999. 95-115 pp. Budapest, Hungary. In Eng.
"The
first part of the paper underlines the [need] to consider in the
analysis of mortality the double nature of general age-specific
mortality rates: they determine with the number and age distribution of
persons exposed to the risk of dying the number and the age
distribution of the deceased. An attempt is made to separate the impact
of these two roles. The second part of the contribution describes the
method of decomposition of the differences between the life
expectancies at birth (and at higher ages) elaborated and used in the
Demographic Research Institute of the [Hungarian Central Statistical
Office], based on the evidence that the life expectancy at birth may be
defined...as the mean age of all the deceased of the life table and
this mean age is equal to the weighted arithmetic mean of the mean ages
of victims of different causes of death."
Correspondence:
E. Valkovics, Kozponti Statisztikai Hivatal, Institute of
Demographic Research, Keleti Karoly U.5-7, 1525 Budapest II, Hungary.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40235 Wilmoth, John R.; Horiuchi,
Shiro. Rectangularization revisited: variability of age at
death within human populations. Demography, Vol. 36, No. 4, Nov
1999. 475-95 pp. Silver Spring, Maryland. In Eng.
"Rectangularization of human survival curves is associated
with decreasing variability in the distribution of ages at death. This
variability, as measured by the interquartile range of life table ages
at death, has decreased from about 65 years to 15 years since 1751 in
Sweden. Most of this decline occurred between the 1870s and the 1950s.
Since then, variability in age at death has been nearly constant in
Sweden, Japan, and the United States, defying predictions of a
continuing rectangularization. The United States is characterized by a
relatively high degree of variability, compared with both Sweden and
Japan. We suggest that the historical compression of mortality may have
had significant psychological and behavioral
impacts."
Correspondence: J. R. Wilmoth, University of
California, Department of Demography, 2232 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley,
CA 94720. E-mail: jrw@demog.berkeley.edu. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
65:40236 Yan, Yuk Yee. The
influence of weather on human mortality in Hong Kong. Social
Science and Medicine, Vol. 50, No. 3, Feb 2000. 419-27 pp. Oxford,
England. In Eng.
"This study is the first attempt to
investigate mortality seasonality and weather-mortality relationships
in Hong Kong from 1980 to 1994. Monthly mortality data from all causes
of death, neoplasm, circulatory and respiratory diseases were obtained
from the Census and Statistics Department and the weather data were
obtained from the Hong Kong Observatory. Regression analyses and ANOVA
were employed. Significant winter peaks in sex specific and total
deaths from all causes, circulatory and respiratory diseases were
ascertained. Cancer mortality, however, was not seasonal. Mortality
seasonality only existed in age groups 45-64 and greater than 65.... A
significant negative association between minimum temperature and a
positive relationship between cloud and deaths were found. This
suggests that colder and cloudy conditions may heighten
mortality."
Correspondence: Y. Y. Yan, Hong Kong
Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, China. E-mail:
yyan@ctsc.hkbu.edu.hk. Location: Princeton University Library
(PR).
65:40237 Zatonski, Witold. The
dynamics of mortality in Poland. In: Health and mortality: issues
of global concern. Proceedings of the Symposium on Health and
Mortality, Brussels, 19-22 November 1997, edited by J. Chamie and R. L.
Cliquet. 1999. 227-61 pp. Centrum voor Bevolkings- en
Gezinsstudiën [CBGS]: Brussels, Belgium; UN Department of Economic
and Social Affairs: New York, New York. In Eng.
An analysis of
mortality trends in Poland from 1988 to 1994, based on official data,
is presented. Two main phases are identified. "The increase in
mortality from non-medical causes in 1988-1991, especially among young
men, seems to have been chiefly the result of a sudden increase in
alcohol consumption and its consequences. More impressive and positive
is the second phase, involving the large decline in mortality in
1991-1996, principally involving premature deaths from cardiovascular
diseases. This process, although difficult to interpret definitively,
is probably chiefly due to the changes in the dietary patterns of the
Polish population that followed the introduction of a market
economy."
Correspondence: W. Zatonski, Maria
Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Centre and Institute of Oncology,
Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Prevention, 02-781 Warsaw,
Poland. E-mail: zatonskiw@coi.waw.pl. 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.
65:40238 Alexander, Greg R.; Tompkins, Mark
E.; Allen, Marilee C.; Hulsey, Thomas C. Trends and racial
differences in birth weight and related survival. Maternal and
Child Health Journal, Vol. 3, No. 1, Jun 1999. 71-9 pp. New York, New
York. In Eng.
"In the past two decades, infant mortality rates
in the United States declined in African-American and White
populations. Despite this, racial disparities in infant mortality rates
have increased and rates of low birth weight deliveries have shown
little change. In this study, we examine temporal changes in birth
weight distributions, birth weight specific neonatal mortality, and the
birth weight threshold for an adverse risk of survival within both
racial groups in order to explore the mechanisms for the disparities in
infant mortality rates.... Single live births born to South Carolina
resident mothers between 1975 and 1994 and considered White or
African-American based on the mother's report of maternal race on the
birth certificate were selected for investigation.... Despite
significant increases in very low birth weight percentages, neonatal
mortality rates markedly declined. Birth weight specific neonatal
mortality decreased for both races, although greater reductions accrued
to White low birth weight infants."
Correspondence: G.
R. Alexander, University of Alabama, School of Public Health,
Department of Maternal and Child Health, 320A Ryals Building, 1665
University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35294-0022. E-mail:
greg.alexander@uab.edu. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
65:40239 Gourbin, Catherine.
Fetal mortality: definitions and levels. [La mortalité
foetale: définitions et niveaux.] In: Morbidité,
Mortalité: Problèmes de Mesure, Facteurs d'Evolution,
Essai de Prospective. Colloque international de Sinaia (2-6 septembre
1996). 1998. 91-107 pp. Association Internationale des
Démographes de Langue Française [AIDELF]: Paris, France;
Presses Universitaires de France: Paris, France. In Fre.
The author
examines some of the problems associated with measuring fetal
mortality. Some of the differences in the criteria for registering
fetal deaths in European countries are described, and the impacts of
the methods chosen on levels of fetal mortality are noted. The chapter
ends with an analysis of the quality of the Hungarian data, which are
available for fetal deaths regardless of length of
gestation.
Correspondence: C. Gourbin, Université
Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Démographie, 1 place
Montesquieu, B.P. 17, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40240 Liljestrand, Jerker.
Commentary: reducing perinatal and maternal mortality in the world:
the major challenges. British Journal of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology, Vol. 106, No. 9, Sep 1999. 877-80 pp. Oxford, England. In
Eng.
The major challenges to be faced if perinatal and maternal
mortality is to be further reduced around the world are examined. The
relationship between reducing levels of mortality from such causes and
successful development programs in developing countries is
analyzed.
Correspondence: J. Liljestrand, World Health
Organization, Department of Reproductive Health and Research, 1211
Geneva 27, Switzerland. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
65:40241 Rajan, S. Irudaya; Nair, P.
Mohanachandran. Is the IMR in Kerala as low as 12?
Beginning an exploration. Demography India, Vol. 28, No. 1,
Jan-Jun 1999. 131-44 pp. Delhi, India. In Eng.
"This brief
note has two objectives: Firstly to explore the possible reasons of
high still birth rate and peri-natal mortality in Kerala [India];
secondly, why the SRS [Sample Registration System] underestimates the
IMR [infant mortality rate] as low as 15? In the process, we also
assess the reasons for [the] high infant mortality
rate."
Correspondence: S. I. Rajan, Centre for
Development Studies, Prasanthnagar Road, Ulloor, Thiruvananthapuram 695
011, Kerala, India. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
65:40242 Wang, P. D.; Lin, R. S.
Perinatal mortality in Taiwan. Public Health, Vol. 113, No. 1,
Jan 1999. 27-33 pp. Basingstoke, England. In Eng.
"Information
on perinatal deaths [in Taiwan] was obtained from 310 women by
collecting detailed obstetric histories dating from marriage to the
start of the survey. These histories were compared to those of 688 age
matched controls. Potential risk factors, levels and time trends of
perinatal mortality in Taiwan were examined and factors underlying
stillbirths and early neonatal deaths were also compared using
conditional logistic regression analyses." The data were collected
in 1991-1992. A decline of nearly 56% occurred in perinatal mortality
over the 35-year period prior to the survey. Factors associated with
perinatal mortality were maternal age, parity, and birth
intervals.
Correspondence: P. D. Wang, Wanhwa District
Health Center, 152 Tung-Yuan Street, Taipei, Taiwan. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
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.
65:40243 Aaby, Peter. Are men
weaker or do their sisters talk too much? Sex differences in childhood
mortality and the construction of "biological"
differences. In: The methods and uses of anthropological
demography, edited by Alaka M. Basu and Peter Aaby. 1998. 223-45 pp.
Clarendon Press: Oxford, England. In Eng.
Reasons for sex
differences in childhood mortality in developing countries are
analyzed, with particular reference to differences in mortality from
measles. "The paper analyses how disease transmission patterns may
produce severe infection and mortality differences by sex or age. The
focus is the interaction between behaviour patterns and disease
transmission, a reality that may interact in important ways with
patterns of differential or preferential treatment of the sexes."
The author notes that infections are more severe when contracted from
someone at home than from someone outside, and that it can affect sex
differentials in mortality from a disease, if cultural or other factors
mean that one sex is more likely than the other to catch diseases at
home or away from the home. The need for sex-specific vaccines is also
noted.
Correspondence: P. Aaby, University of Copenhagen,
Department of Epidemiology, Frue Plads/Noerregade 10, P.O. Box 2177,
1017 Copenhagen K, Denmark. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
65:40244 Aguirre, Alejandro.
Extension of the preceding-birth technique. [Extensión
del método del hijo previo.] Notas de Población, Vol. 26,
No. 67-68, Jan-Dec 1998. 139-62 pp. Santiago, Chile. In Spa. with sum.
in Eng.
Ways to improve the data needed for the preceding-birth
technique, which is used to produce an index of early childhood
mortality, are examined using data from the Mexican Social Security
Institute. The focus is on the best time to interview the women
concerned in order to obtain accurate information on the survival of
the previous child.
Correspondence: A. Aguirre, El Colegio
de México, Camino al Ajusco 20, 10740 Mexico City, DF, Mexico.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40245 Ahmed, Ferial A.-K.; Hassan, Suzan
A. Covariates of infant and child mortality in Egypt,
1993. In: CDC 26th annual seminar on population issues in the
Middle East, Africa and Asia, 1996. 1997. 550-68 pp. Cairo Demographic
Center: Cairo, Egypt. In Eng.
The main objectives of this study are
to give an overall picture of the main factors affecting infant and
child mortality in Egypt. Data are primarily taken from the Egyptian
Use Effectiveness Survey of 1993.
Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
65:40246 Almgren, Gunnar; Kemp, Susan;
Eisinger, Alison. Appraising the legacy of Hull House: the
role of the United States Children's Bureau in the American mortality
transition. Seattle Population Research Center Working Paper, No.
99-11, [1999]. 39, [vi] pp. University of Washington, Seattle
Population Research Center: Seattle, Washington. In Eng.
"Our
specific focus is an examination of the accomplishments and failures of
the [U.S. Children's Bureau's] efforts to transform the national
calculus of infant mortality. We begin with a review of theoretical
approaches to the mortality transition that occurred between 1900 and
1930, followed by a broad assessment of the philosophy, science, and
methods of the Children's Bureau's infant mortality reduction campaign.
We conclude with an analysis of newly available data from the 1910 and
1920 census micro sample surveys that yields a more complete appraisal
of the bureau's role in promoting infant
survival."
Correspondence: University of Washington,
Seattle Population Research Center, Box 353340, Seattle, WA 98195.
Author's E-mail: mukboy@u.washington.edu. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
65:40247 Bairagi, Radheshyam; Sutradhar,
Santosh C.; Alam, Nurul. Levels, trends and determinants
of child mortality in Matlab, Bangladesh, 1966-1994. Asia-Pacific
Population Journal, Vol. 14, No. 2, Jun 1999. 51-68 pp. Bangkok,
Thailand. In Eng.
"There has been a substantial decline in
child mortality in Bangladesh since the 1940s, particularly in the last
two decades.... Yet, with an infant mortality rate at about 100 deaths
per thousand live births, and an under-five mortality rate of about 130
per thousand (in 1994), child mortality is still a burning problem in
Bangladesh. To develop interventions to reduce infant and child
mortality, it is important to know the factors responsible for
mortality decline, and the factors that work as obstacles to its
further decline in this country." Data for this study came from
the Matlab Demographic Surveillance System (DSS) and the 1974 and 1982
socioeconomic status surveys.
Correspondence: R. Bairagi,
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh,
G.P.O. Box 128, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh. E-mail: bairagi@icddrb.org.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40248 Behar, Cem; Courbage, Youssef;
Gürsoy, Akile. Economic growth or survival? The
problematic case of child mortality in Turkey. European Journal of
Population/Revue Européenne de Démographie, Vol. 15, No.
3, Sep 1999. 241-78 pp. Dordrecht, Netherlands. In Eng. with sum. in
Fre.
Reasons why levels of child mortality in Turkey have remained
relatively high despite modernization and declining fertility are
examined. "The stresses resulting from economic growth and the
high level of female workforce participation have perhaps tended to
distract women from child care. Also, neither Ottoman nor republican
Turkish traditions have encouraged an enhancement of the status of
childhood. Unconventional sources: ethnology, literature, cinema, are
deployed here to construct an impression of the cultural environment of
the mothers, fathers and families of dead children. Change of
attitudes, very slow as far as childhood is concerned, have not yet
caught up with the transition in fertility. An infant mortality rate of
53 per l,000, accompanying a total fertility rate scarcely higher than
2, is a combination difficult to find anywhere
else."
Correspondence: C. Behar, Institut National
d'Etudes Démographiques, 133 boulevard Davout, 75980 Paris Cedex
14, France. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40249 Bengtsson, Tommy. The
vulnerable child. Economic insecurity and child mortality in
pre-industrial Sweden: a case study of Västanfors, 1757-1850.
European Journal of Population/Revue Européenne de
Démographie, Vol. 15, No. 2, Jun 1999. 117-51 pp. Dordrecht,
Netherlands. In Eng. with sum. in Fre.
"By using
macro-economic time series as time-varying community variables in a
life event analysis framework for micro data on individuals, we have
found that mortality among children over the age of one year in
pre-industrial Sweden was directly dependent upon economic
fluctuations, a fact which has not been demonstrated before. The impact
is stronger among the lower classes than the well-to-do. It is
particularly strong in years following an extremely poor harvest.
Another new finding is that smallpox mortality among children is
determined by economic fluctuations. However, infant mortality seems to
follow its own rhythms independently of changes in economic
conditions."
Correspondence: T. Bengtsson, University
of Lund, Department of Economic History, 221 00 Lund, Sweden.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40250 Bhattacharya, Prabir C.
Socio-economic determinants of early childhood mortality: a study
of three Indian states. Demography India, Vol. 28, No. 1, Jan-Jun
1999. 47-63 pp. Delhi, India. In Eng.
"The important
determinants of child survival in less developed countries include
infection, food intake, nutritional status, disease control, maternal
factors and injury. The socio-economic factors influence child survival
by operating through these basic proximate determinants. The purpose of
this paper is to examine how the social and environmental context in
which a child is raised affects his or her survival chances in three
states in northern India, viz., Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar
Pradesh. The analysis is based on the 1981 census
data."
Correspondence: P. C. Bhattacharya, Heriot-Watt
University, Department of Economics, Riccarton, Edinburgh EH14 4AS,
Scotland. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40251 Chay, Kenneth Y.; Greenstone,
Michael. The impact of air pollution on infant mortality:
evidence from geographic variation in pollution shocks induced by a
recession. NBER Working Paper, No. 7442, Dec 1999. 50, [22] pp.
National Bureau of Economic Research [NBER]: Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In Eng.
"This study uses sharp, differential air quality
changes across sites attributable to geographic variation in the
effects of the 1981-82 recession [in the United States] to estimate the
relationship between infant mortality and particulates air pollution.
It is shown that in the narrow period of 1980-82, there was substantial
variation across counties in changes in particulates pollution, and
that these differential pollution reductions appear to be orthogonal to
changes in a multitude of other factors that may be related to infant
mortality."
Correspondence: National Bureau of
Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Author's E-mail: kenchay@econ.berkeley.edu. Location:
Princeton University Library (PF).
65:40252 Choe, Minja Kim; Diamond, Ian;
Steele, Fiona A.; Kim, Seung Kwon. Son preference, family
building process and child mortality. In: Too young to die: genes
or gender? 1998. 208-22 pp. UN Department of Economic and Social
Affairs: New York, New York. In Eng.
"The present chapter
presents an assessment of whether son preference results in excess
female child mortality indirectly through the family building process.
A review of previous work will be followed by in-depth case studies,
using recent data from Egypt, Bangladesh and the Republic of Korea,
three countries that are characterized by a high level of son
preference and excess female child
mortality...."
Correspondence: M. K. Choe, East-West
Center, Program on Population, 1601 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96848.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40253 David, Patricia H.
Family-building patterns and childhood mortality: a family-level
analysis. Journal of Biosocial Science, Vol. 31, No. 4, Oct 1999.
463-85 pp. Cambridge, England. In Eng.
"This paper analyses
mortality risk in sibships to explore the relationship between family
formation factors and other household characteristics that identify
women whose families are at higher risk. The analysis allows for the
fact that reproductive behaviour may be modified by the family's prior
experience of child death, using simultaneous equations methods to
purge the model of the `feedback' effects of death on the endogenous
variable, childbearing pace.... Other aspects of family formation
patterns are good indicators of which families are likely to experience
excess risks to their children. These factors are associated with
maternal education...." Data are from the Round One Demographic
and Health Surveys in Peru (1986) and Egypt
(1988).
Correspondence: P. H. David, Population Reference
Bureau, 1875 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 520, Washington, D.C.
20009-5728. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40254 DiLiberti, John H.; Jackson, Cynthia
R. Long-term trends in childhood infectious disease
mortality rates. American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 89, No.
12, Dec 1999. 1,883-5 pp. Washington, D.C. In Eng.
Long-term trends
in childhood infectious disease mortality rates (CIDMR) in the United
States from 1968 to 1992 are assessed using data from the Compressed
Mortality File and the Multiple Cause of Death Files from the National
Center for Health Statistics. "U.S. CIDMR declined continuously
from 1968 to 1996, although the rate of decline slowed after 1974.
Respiratory and central nervous system categories declined most;
HIV-related deaths offset these declines somewhat." Comparisons
are made with English data for 1861-1964.
Correspondence:
J. H. DiLiberti, University of Illinois College of Medicine,
Department of Pediatrics, 530 NE Glen Oak Avenue, Peoria, IL 61637.
E-mail: jhd@uic.edu. Location: Princeton University Library
(SZ).
65:40255 Gourbin, Catherine; Wunsch,
Guillaume. Paternal age and infant mortality. Genus,
Vol. 55, No. 1-2, Jan-Jun 1999. 61-72 pp. Rome, Italy. In Eng. with
sum. in Ita; Fre.
"The main objective of the study is to
examine whether there is a significant association between infant
mortality and age of the parents. The study is based on individual
registration forms for live births and infant deaths collected in
Hungary from 1984 to 1988. As suspected, older women have higher infant
mortality rates, but infant mortality rates increase also when the age
of the father increases, particularly above 35. Although statistically
significant, the effect of age remains slighter than that of other
characteristics such as previous foetal deaths, or induced abortions.
Higher education for fathers and especially for mothers might also
improve the probability of survival of the
child."
Correspondence: C. Gourbin, Université
Catholique de Louvain, Institut de Démographie, 1 place
Montesquieu, B.P. 17, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40256 Gupta, H. S.; Baghel, A.
Infant mortality in the Indian slums: case studies of Calcutta
Metropolis and Raipur City. International Journal of Population
Geography, Vol. 5, No. 5, Sep-Oct 1999. 353-66 pp. Chichester, England.
In Eng.
"Based on data collected through interview of 2,142
mothers who had experienced live births and/or infant deaths within one
year preceding the date of survey in selected slums of Calcutta
Metropolis and Raipur City, this study attempts to elucidate and
explain the levels, differentials, causes and determinants of infant
mortality in the Indian slums. The infant mortality rate (IMR) in the
slums was found to be quite high but lower than that in rural India,
underlining the importance of `urban residence' as a major controlling
factor of infant mortality. The IMR in the slums of Calcutta was about
one and a half times that in the slums of Raipur, suggesting that slum
infant mortality is far worse in metropolises than in smaller
cities."
Correspondence: H. S. Gupta, Pt. Ravishankar
Shukla University, School of Studies in Geography, Raipur, Madhya
Pradesh 492 010, India. E-mail: bksharma@gwrl.vsnl.net.in.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40257 Hassane, Nekrache. Study
of infant mortality in Morocco based on data from "Enquête
de Panel sur la Population et la Santé, 1995" In: CDC
27th annual seminar on population issues in the Middle East, Africa and
Asia. 1998. 696-712 pp. Cairo Demographic Centre: Cairo, Egypt. In Eng.
"The principal aims of this study are: to estimate levels and
trends of infant mortality in Morocco; to examine the socio- and
bio-demographic factors which affect levels and [trends] of infant
mortality.... The data on which this study is based were provided by
the 1995 Moroccan Demographic and Health Survey."
Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40258 Herman-Giddens, Marcia E.; Brown,
Gail; Verbiest, Sarah; Carlson, Pamela J.; Hooten, Elizabeth G.;
Howell, Eleanor; Butts, John D. Underascertainment of
child abuse mortality in the United States. JAMA: Journal of the
American Medical Association, Vol. 282, No. 5, Aug 4, 1999. 463-7 pp.
Chicago, Illinois. In Eng.
The authors "describe the true
incidence of fatal child abuse, determine the proportion of child abuse
deaths missed by the vital records system, and provide estimates of the
extent of abuse homicides in young children [using a] retrospective
descriptive study of child abuse homicides that occurred over a 10-year
period in North Carolina from 1985-1994.... We found that significant
underascertainment of child abuse homicides in vital records systems
persists despite greater societal attention to abuse
fatalities."
Correspondence: M. E. Herman-Giddens,
1450 Russell Chapel Road, Pittsboro, NC 27312. E-mail:
mherman-giddens@unc.edu. Location: Princeton University
Library (SZ).
65:40259 Hill, Kenneth; Figueroa,
Maria-Elena. Child mortality estimation by time since
first birth. Hopkins Population Center Papers on Population, No.
99-05, Jun 1999. 12 pp. Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and
Public Health, Johns Hopkins Population Center: Baltimore, Maryland. In
Eng.
"This paper develops and illustrates a methodology [for
estimating child mortality] based on time since first birth using a
model of fertility by time since first birth and model life tables.
This methodology avoids the selection bias of the age-based method, and
is applicable to all populations regardless of marriage customs, but
does require an extra question, on date of or age at first birth, on
the census or survey instrument. An application to data from Haiti
shows the method to give estimates similar to those from a subsequent
birth history."
Correspondence: K. Hill, Johns Hopkins
University, Department of Population and Family Health Sciences, 615
North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205. E-mail: khill@jhsph.edu.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40260 Huang, Rongqing. A study
on a childhood mortality model. Chinese Journal of Population
Science, Vol. 10, No. 2, 1998. 187-98 pp. New York, New York. In Eng.
"In this study, a mortality function model for childhood is
established on the basis of an analysis of empirical data, comparison
of different mortality models in terms of their accuracy, and
discussion of the applicability of those models under different
circumstances.... Empirical data from Japan's complete life tables are
used to evaluate the accuracy of the models."
Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40261 Jatrana, Santosh.
Determinants of infant mortality in a backward region of North
India: Are socioeconomic or demographic factors dominant? Working
Papers in Demography, No. 82, 1999. 22 pp. Australian National
University, Research School of Social Sciences, Demography Program:
Canberra, Australia. In Eng.
"Several socioeconomic factors
have been found to be associated with infant and childhood mortality in
the developing countries. However, the relative importance of
socioeconomic and demographic factors in influencing infant mortality,
varies with the level of socioeconomic development of the nation....
This paper will explore this hypothesis in a backward region of India
(Mewat region of Haryana State), with a view to contributing to a
better understanding of the relative importance of socioeconomic and
demographic factors on infant mortality. The data employed in this
study were obtained by conducting a field survey between April 1996 and
February 1997 of factors affecting infant and child survival in the Nuh
and Taoru blocks of the Mewat region of Haryana State. [A] Cox
proportional hazards model was used to analyse the relative effects of
demographic and the socioeconomic factors. Finally, some policy
implications of the findings are
suggested."
Correspondence: Australian National
University, Research School of Social Sciences, Demography Program,
Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
65:40262 Jhamba, Tapiwa. Regional
variations in childhood mortality in Zimbabwe. Geography, Vol. 84,
No. 4, Oct 1999. 319-30 pp. Sheffield, England. In Eng.
Data from
the 1992 census are used to analyze differences in childhood mortality
by district in Zimbabwe. "A zone of high mortality could be
clearly identified along the border with Mozambique in the east and
north-east, and along the border with Zambia in the north-west. The
south-west, covering Matebeleland North and South and part of the
Midlands, was generally characterised by low childhood mortality. The
spatial variations in childhood mortality were related to a combination
of the effects of variations in natural agro-ecological conditions and
the historical spatial patterns of socio-economic development.
Relatively strong relationships existed between district childhood
mortality levels and the level of fertility and level of education.
Cultural factors, and variations in the natural physical and climatic
conditions, which in turn related to the incidence and prevalence of
tropical diseases (such as malaria) also influence regional mortality
levels in Zimbabwe."
Correspondence: T. Jhamba,
University of Zimbabwe, Centre for Population Studies, M.P. 167, Mount
Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe. E-mail: jhamba@compcentre.uz.ac.zw.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40263 Kertzer, David I.; Sigle, Wendy;
White, Michael J. Childhood mortality and quality of care
among abandoned children in nineteenth-century Italy. Population
Studies, Vol. 53, No. 3, Nov 1999. 303-15 pp. London, England. In Eng.
"A great deal of scholarly attention has been devoted in
recent years to the large-scale abandonment of newborn babies in the
European past, with special emphasis given to the staggering rates of
infant mortality among the foundlings. For the most part, scholars have
agreed with the foundling home officials of the past in assigning much
of the blame for this excess mortality to the women who took the
foundlings as wetnurses and subsequently as foster mothers. This
article takes issue with this view, based on an examination of the
children abandoned at the foundling home of Bologna, Italy in the
nineteenth century. Four cohorts of foundlings are examined--those
abandoned in 1809-30, 1829-30, 1849-50, and 1869-70 (N=3,615)--as we
trace the changing pattern of infant and early childhood mortality.
Longitudinal methods are used in examining the life course of these
foundlings and the determinants of their
mortality."
Correspondence: D. I. Kertzer, Brown
University, Department of Anthropology, Providence, RI 02912.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40264 Krishnamoorthy, S.; Rajna, P.
N. Graduating childhood deaths and survivorship function
with the model by Mukherjee and Islam. Demography India, Vol. 28,
No. 1, Jan-Jun 1999. 13-21 pp. Delhi, India. In Eng.
Some models
that have been developed for the analysis of infant mortality in India
are reviewed. "Recently, Chauhan (1997) suggested use of a model
proposed by Mukherjee and Islam in reliability analysis. Chauhan
concludes that this model effectively describes the age distribution of
early age deaths. This paper re-examines the adequacy of the model in
describing the distribution of deaths at early ages of life and also
modifies the model for graduating the survivorship function.... The
model proposed by Mukherjee and Islam in the study of reliability and
introduced by Chauhan to graduate infant deaths is tested for its
efficacy in describing not only the age pattern of childhood deaths but
also the survivorship probabilities."
Correspondence:
S. Krishnamoorthy, Bharathiar University, Department of Population
Studies, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 046, India. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40265 Luther, Norman Y.; Thapa,
Shyam. Infant and child mortality in Nepal. East-West
Center Working Papers, Population Series, No. 105, Apr 1999. iv, 94 pp.
East-West Center: Honolulu, Hawaii. In Eng.
"The 1996 Nepal
Family Health Survey (NFHS), part of the World Demographic and Health
Surveys, collected information on fertility, family planning, and
maternal and child health from 8,429 ever-married women aged 15-49....
This report includes measures of levels and trends of mortality before
age 5 by 5-year periods preceding the survey, as well as differentials
of mortality by selected socioeconomic background characteristics,
demographic characteristics, and health care
behavior."
Correspondence: East-West Center, Program
on Population, 1601 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96848. E-mail:
poppubs@ewc.hawaii.edu. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
65:40266 Malcoe, Lorraine H.; Shaw, Gary M.;
Lammer, Edward J.; Herman, Allen A. The effect of
congenital anomalies on mortality risk in white and black infants.
American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 89, No. 6, Jun 1999. 887-92 pp.
Washington, D.C. In Eng.
"This population-based study examined
the effect of all major congenital anomalies on the mortality of White
and Black infants [in California] by infant sex, birthweight,
gestational age, and lethality of the anomaly. The study also
determined the total contribution of anomalies of infant mortality....
The contribution of congenital anomalies to mortality of both low-
(<2500g) and normal-birth-weight infants is substantially higher
than previously estimated, representing a large public health problem
for both Black and White infants."
Correspondence: L.
H. Malcoe, University of Oklahoma, College of Public Health, Department
of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, P.O. Box 26901, CHB-309, Oklahoma
City, OK 73190. E-mail: lorraine-malcoe@ouhsc.edu. Location:
Princeton University Library (SZ).
65:40267 Matthews, Zoe; Diamond, Ian.
The expanded programme on immunisation: mortality consequences and
demographic impact in developing countries. Genus, Vol. 55, No.
1-2, Jan-Jun 1999. 73-100 pp. Rome, Italy. In Eng. with sum. in Ita;
Fre.
"The aims of the paper are to evaluate the mortality
impact of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation by estimating lives
saved, and to understand its wider demographic implications by
performing population projections to the year 2025. Results show that
the life-saving impact of EPI campaigns in all developing regions is
high, especially in countries where mortality is currently high, for
example in sub-Saharan Africa. We estimate that approximately 5.5
million children per year are currently being saved in the major
developing countries of the world. Prolonging the life of these
immunised children could add up to 4.5 years to life expectancy in some
countries."
Correspondence: Z. Matthews, University of
Southampton, Department of Social Statistics, Southampton SO17 2BJ,
England. E-mail: zm2@socsci.soton.ac.uk. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
65:40268 Measham, Anthony R.; Rao, Krishna D.;
Jamison, Dean T.; Wang, Jia; Singh, Alaka. Reducing infant
mortality and fertility, 1975-1990: performance at all-India and state
levels. Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 34, No. 22, Jun 4,
1999. 1,359-67 pp. Mumbai, India. In Eng.
"This paper uses
recently available data from India and from other countries to assess
the role of income changes and other changes over time in determining
infant mortality rates (IMR) and total fertility rates (TFR). It uses
this information to assess the performance on these outcomes of India
relative to other countries and of individual Indian states relative to
the all-India average. The paper's main conclusions are: (i) While
income does have some influence on health outcomes, technical progress
and other factors are substantially more important.... (ii) India's
performance on IMR falls short of what would be expected given results
of other countries of its income. (iii) By contrast, India's
performance in reducing TFR is substantially better than would be
predicted from its income. (iv) Not surprisingly states vary
substantially in the performance relative to their income level and the
all-India average values of IMR and TFR."
Location:
Princeton University Library (PF).
65:40269 Mellington, Nicole; Cameron,
Lisa. Female education and child mortality in
Indonesia. Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, Vol. 35, No.
3, Dec 1999. 115-44 pp. Canberra, Australia. In Eng.
"This
paper uses a sample of 6,620 women from the 1994 Indonesian Demographic
and Health Survey to examine the relationship between female education
and child mortality in Indonesia. Female education is measured in terms
of both years of education and literacy. Both primary education and
secondary schooling significantly decrease the probability of child
death, while literacy plays an insignificant role. When the sample is
divided into urban and rural locations, primary and secondary education
are significant in both areas in reducing the likelihood of a mother
experiencing child mortality. The benefits of public and private
infrastructure appear to differ in rural and urban areas. The results
confirm that investment in female human capital lowers the probability
of child mortality."
Correspondence: N. Mellington,
University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.
Location: Princeton University Library (PF).
65:40270 Murakoshi, Kazunori.
Infant and child mortality of the Daimyo class in the Tokugawa
Period (1651-1850): a peer's genealogical data. Jinkogaku
Kenkyu/Journal of Population Studies, No. 24, Jun 1999. 15-31 pp.
Tokyo, Japan. In Jpn. with sum. in Eng.
"A demographic
analysis of commoners in cities in the Tokugawa period [in Japan] tends
to face difficulty due to the loss of population registers called
shummon aratame cho. With genealogical data of [the] daimyo class,
however, we can attempt such an analysis by examining the mortality
rate in [the] daimyo family in Edo and other castle towns, assuming
that this indicates the mortality rate of commoners. In the period from
the late 17th century to the early 19th century, [the] infant mortality
rate is estimated at 193.2 [per thousand] and the child mortality rate
at 229.6 [per thousand. These rates] begin to rise in the late 18th
century and reach [their] highest in the mid-19th
century."
Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
65:40271 Pelletier, David L.
Malnutrition, morbidity and child mortality in developing
countries. In: Too young to die: genes or gender? 1998. 109-32 pp.
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: New York, New York. In
Eng.
The relationships among malnutrition, morbidity, and child
mortality in developing countries are examined. "One purpose of
the present chapter is to clarify the nature of malnutrition itself and
summarize recent evidence concerning its relation to child mortality.
Another purpose is to investigate the extent to which sex differentials
in nutritional status are related to sex differentials in child
mortality, drawing upon community-based prospective studies and
cross-national comparisons."
Correspondence: D. L.
Pelletier, Cornell University, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Savage
Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-6501. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
65:40272 Pinnelli, Antonella; Mancini,
Paola. Mortality peaks in Italy in the late l9th and early
20th centuries: trends by age and sex. European Journal of
Population/Revue Européenne de Démographie, Vol. 14, No.
4, 1998-1999. 333-65 pp. Dordrecht, Netherlands. In Eng. with sum. in
Fre.
"Infant and youth mortality fell steeply between the
unification of Italy and the 1930s, particularly due to the decline in
infectious and parasitic diseases. A number of mortality crises,
however, at times halted this decline: the 1908 Calabria-Sicily
earthquake, the 1915 Marsica earthquake, World War I and 1918 Spanish
influenza outbreak. This paper focuses [on] the repercussions of these
events [for] the general survival status of young people from birth to
puberty, as well as the main pathologies responsible for the rise in
mortality. An analysis of differences in mortality according to sex
during the various crises was also performed to ascertain whether the
more difficult survival conditions during these periods affected males
and females equally."
Correspondence: A. Pinnelli,
Dipartimento di Scienze Demografiche, via Nomentana 41, 00161 Rome,
Italy. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40273 Ramírez, Mirta L.
Impact of environmental factors on infant mortality. Chaco
Province--1991. [Incidencia de factores ambientales en la
mortalidad infantil. Provincia del Chaco--1991.] Revista
Geográfica, No. 122, Jul-Dec 1995. 169-98 pp. Mexico City,
Mexico. In Spa. with sum. in Eng.
"The Chaco Province is
located in the Northeast of Argentina.... This article reflects the
distribution of neonatal and post-neonatal infant mortality considering
the six health zones established by the State government, trying to
determine relations between infant and post-neonatal mortality and the
social conditions of the population and, on the other hand, the
relations between the causes of mortality and the above-mentioned
social conditions."
Correspondence: M. L.
Ramírez, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, Facultad de
Geografía, Chaco, Argentina. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
65:40274 Ramiro Fariñas, Diego; Sanz
Gimeno, Alberto. Internal structures of childhood
mortality (ages 0-4) in twentieth century Spain. Population
Studies Center Research Report, No. 97-392, [1997]. 22 pp. University
of Michigan, Population Studies Center: Ann Arbor, Michigan. In Eng.
"This communication deals with the evolution of infant and
child mortality structure in Spain, during the years 1900, 1930 and
1960. Special emphasis will be put on the decline in mortality for
children between 1 and 4 years of age (specially high in Spain), the
internal structure of infant mortality, and the differences between
rural and urban context."
Correspondence: University
of Michigan, Population Studies Center, 1225 South University Avenue,
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2590. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
65:40275 Rusman, Roosmalawati; Djohan,
Eniarti; Hull, Terence H. They simply die: searching for
the causes of high infant mortality in Lombok. ISBN 979-8553-43-8.
1999. 100 pp. Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Center for Population
and Manpower Studies: Jakarta, Indonesia; Australian National
University, Research School of Social Sciences, Demography Program:
Canberra, Australia. In Eng. with sum. in Ind.
Reasons for the high
levels of infant and child mortality that have been recorded in the
Indonesian province of Lombok are explored. The method used in the
analysis is of a qualitative nature based on interviews with many of
the people who become involved when children get sick, including
parents, neighbors, traditional healers, religious leaders, and health
center personnel. The authors conclude that, although there are no
simple explanations for these high levels of mortality, many deaths
could be prevented by a combination of improvements in safe birth
practices, good hygiene, adequate nutrition, and beneficial care. The
difficulties that will need to be overcome in order to make these
improvements are discussed.
Correspondence: Indonesian
Institute of Sciences, Center for Population and Manpower Studies,
Gedung Widya Graha Lt. X, Jalan Gatot Subroto 10, Djakarta Selatan,
Indonesia. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40276 Sowards, Kathryn A. What
is the leading cause of infant mortality? A note on the interpretation
of official statistics. American Journal of Public Health, Vol.
89, No. 11, Nov 1999. 1,752-4 pp. Washington, D.C. In Eng.
"According to vital statistics reports, congenital
malformation is the leading cause of infant death in the United States
and accounts for a much greater proportion of infant mortality than
does premature birth. The purpose of this study was to examine the
potential underestimation of prematurity-related mortality in current
vital statistics reports." Official mortality data for 1985, 1991,
and 1996 are used. The results indicate that "the official
statistics significantly understate the role of prematurity-related
mortality. An alternative etiology-based classification designates
prematurity as the underlying cause in approximately one third of all
infant deaths."
Correspondence: K. A. Sowards,
Washington State University, Department of Sociology, 14204 NE Salmon
Creek Avenue, Vancouver, WA 98686. E-mail: sowards@vancouver.wsu.edu.
Location: Princeton University Library (SZ).
65:40277 Sudha, S.; Rajan, S.
Irudaya. Female demographic disadvantage in India
1981-1991: sex selective abortions and female infanticide.
Development and Change, Vol. 30, No. 3, Jul 1999. 585-618 pp. Oxford,
England. In Eng.
"Using evidence from a number of sources
(including the 1981 and 1991 censuses of India, prior research, and NGO
reports), this article examines whether bias against girl children
persists during periods of development and fertility decline, whether
prenatal sex selection has spread in India as elsewhere in Asia, and
whether female vs. male child mortality risks have changed.... The
increased masculinity of period SRBs [sex ratios at birth] in some
areas, together with persistent excess female child mortality and
female infanticide, creates a `double jeopardy' for girl children.
Legislation curbing prenatal sex determination and policy measures
addressing societal female devaluation have had little impact,
suggesting that female demographic disadvantage is unlikely to improve
in the near future."
Correspondence: S. Sudha,
University of North Carolina, Carolina Population Center, University
Square, CB 8120, 124 East Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-3997.
E-mail: sudha@email.unc.edu. Location: Princeton University
Library (PR).
65:40278 Taucher, Erica; Díaz, Nora;
Icaza, Gloria. Matching data on infant mortality and
births in Chile. [Pareo de datos sobre defunciones infantiles y
nacimientos en Chile.] Notas de Población, Vol. 26, No. 67-68,
Jan-Dec 1998. 163-80 pp. Santiago, Chile. In Spa. with sum. in Eng.
"This study compares information on the characteristics of
children and their parents, as contained in birth and death
certificates, and assesses the impact of discrepancies in that
information on the results obtained in calculating differentials in
infant mortality, when data on deaths from one or other of these
sources is used as numerator. For this purpose, data on deaths under
one year of age [in Chile] in the birth cohort for 1994 were paired
with data on the corresponding births. The pairing was done using the
national identification number which appears on both birth and death
certificates. The greatest discrepancies observed were related to the
number of weeks of gestation of the child and the years of school
completed by the parents. However, when comparisons were made between
mortality differentials associated with different variables, it was
found that overall patterns were not affected by differences between
the rates."
Correspondence: E. Taucher, Universidad de
Chile, Avenida Bernardo O'Higgins 1058, Casilla 10-D, Santiago, Chile.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40279 Timæus, Ian; Harris, Katie;
Fairbairn, Francesca. Can use of health care explain sex
differentials in child mortality in the developing world? In: Too
young to die: genes or gender? 1998. 154-78 pp. UN Population Division:
New York, New York. In Eng.
"The present chapter examines
differential use of preventive and curative health-care services by
boys and girls. The focus is on children under the age of five years.
The analysis is comparative in nature. It is based on the national
surveys conducted by the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) programme
during the past decade, supplemented by the National Family health
Survey (NFHS) of India.... The aim is to assess whether inequalities in
patterns of health care are large and pervasive enough to be worth
pursuing as an important part of the explanation of sex differentials
in child mortality." The geographical focus is on developing
countries.
Correspondence: I. Timæus, London School
of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Centre for Population Studies, Keppel
Street, London WC1E 7HT, England. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
65:40280 United Nations. Secretariat (New
York, New York). Levels and trends of sex differentials in
infant, child and under-five mortality. In: Too young to die:
genes or gender? 1998. 84-108 pp. UN Department of Economic and Social
Affairs: New York, New York. In Eng.
"In the present chapter,
a new set of estimates of infant, child and under-five mortality by sex
is derived, and sex differentials in mortality relative to each of
those indicators are presented. The estimated sex differentials are
based on all available data allowing the estimation of infant and child
mortality by sex for a country. The data and methods used to obtain
estimates of infant, child and under-five mortality by sex are
described.... An analysis of levels and trends of sex differentials in
mortality in childhood [is also presented]; both the relation between
sex differentials in mortality and mortality level, and changes in sex
differentials over time are examined." The geographical focus is
on developing countries.
Correspondence: United Nations
Secretariat, United Nations Population Division, Department for
Economic and Social Affairs, 220 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40281 Villa, S.; Guiscafré, H.;
Martínez, H.; Muñoz, O.; Gutiérrez, G.
Seasonal diarrhoeal mortality among Mexican children. Bulletin
of the World Health Organization, Vol. 77, No. 5, 1999. 375-80 pp.
Geneva, Switzerland. In Eng. with sum. in Fre; Spa.
"The study
investigated the effects on diarrhoeal deaths among under-5-year-old
Mexican children of the following variables: season (summer or winter),
region (north versus south), age group, and place of death... We have
shown that there was a significant reduction in diarrhoeal deaths among
children in Mexico between 1989 and 1995. However, this reduction was
less evident in the winter months, particularly among under-2-year-olds
and in regions where the seasons are well
marked."
Correspondence: S. Villa, Centro
Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, Coordinación de
Investigación Médica, Edificio B, Unidad de Congresos,
4o. Piso, Avenida Cuauhtémoc 330, Colonia Doctores, C.P. 06725,
Mexico City, DF, Mexico. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
65:40282 Waldron, Ingrid. Sex
differences in infant and early childhood mortality: major causes of
death and possible biological causes. In: Too young to die: genes
or gender? 1998. 64-83 pp. UN Department of Economic and Social
Affairs: New York, New York. In Eng.
The biological factors
associated with differential mortality by sex in infancy and early
childhood are examined in this review of the published literature. Two
major questions are considered: "First, which causes of death
contribute to sex differences in infant and early child mortality in
developing countries? Second, what biological factors contribute to sex
differences for each of the major causes of death? Biological factors
are defined broadly to include: (a) direct genetic effects, such as
X-linked diseases; (b) effects of sex hormones on anatomy, physiology
and behaviour; and (c) physiological differences between males and
females, which may be due primarily to genetic and hormonal effects but
may also be influenced by environmental
factors."
Correspondence: I. Waldron, University of
Pennsylvania, Department of Biology, Leidy Laboratory, Philadelphia, PA
19104-6018. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40283 Wen, Shi Wu; Liu, Shiliang; Joseph,
K. S.; Trouton, Konia; Allen, Alexander. Regional patterns
of infant mortality caused by lethal congenital anomalies.
Canadian Journal of Public Health/Revue Canadienne de Santé
Publique, Vol. 90, No. 5, Sep-Oct 1999. 316-9 pp. Ottawa, Canada. In
Eng. with sum. in Fre.
This article assesses "the regional
patterns of infant mortality due to lethal congenital anomalies, and
the potential reasons for the regional patterns.... The study analyzed
2,507 infant deaths due to lethal congenital anomalies among 1,178,452
live births in 9 of the 12 Canadian provinces and territories from 1990
to 1995 recorded in Statistics Canada's live birth and death data
bases. [Results indicate that] compared with the province of Quebec,
congenital anomaly-attributed infant mortality was higher in
Newfoundland, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.... Despite substantial recent
reductions in lethal congenital anomaly-attributed infant mortality,
there remain major regional variations in infant mortality caused by
certain forms of congenital anomalies including anencephaly and
cardiovascular system anomalies."
Correspondence: S.
W. Wen, Laboratory Centre for Disease Control, Bureau of Reproductive
and Child Health, Tunney's Pasture A-L 060 1E2, Ottawa, Ontario K1A
0L2, Canada. E-mail: Shi_Wu_Wen@hc-sc.gc.ca. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40284 Woldemicael, Gebremariam.
Infant and child mortality in Eritrea: levels, trends, and
determinants. Stockholm University Demography Unit, Dissertation
Series, ISBN 91-7153-973-5. Jul 1999. ix, 277 pp. Stockholm University:
Stockholm, Sweden. In Eng.
This doctoral dissertation has three
main objectives: "first, to estimate age-specific levels, age
patterns and period trends in early mortality at national and
sub-national levels in Eritrea; second, to investigate the major
possible determinants of infant and child mortality; and third, to
discuss implications of the main findings for health policy and future
research directions. The data used for this study come from the 1995
Eritrea Demographic and Health Survey of 5,469 households and 5,054
women in the reproductive age span." The author concludes that
"in order to reduce early mortality in Eritrea, efforts should
focus on health programs that target first-time mothers. Health
education and family planning programs that promote longer birth
intervals should be given special emphasis. The provision of clean
water and toilet facilities must be given greater attention in order to
increase child survival in Eritrea. Resources should be directed
towards lowland communities."
Correspondence:
Stockholm University, Demography Unit, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40285 Worku, Z. B.; Makatjane, T.
J. The impact of a short duration of breast feeding on
child survival in the Maseru District, September-October 1994.
Review of Southern African Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2, Apr 1996. 54-71 pp.
Roma, Lesotho. In Eng.
"Out of 251,000 children under five
years of age in Maseru District, [Lesotho] a random sample of size
4,001 was taken in an attempt to identify factors that strongly
influence child survival. The 74 explanatory variables of the study
were a combination of socio-economic, maternal and child health and
fertility factors. The study revealed that a short duration of breast
feeding was the leading cause of infant mortality and morbidity, and
that rural children were particularly
vulnerable."
Correspondence: Z. B. Worku, National
University of Lesotho, Department of Statistics and Demography, P.O.
Roma 180, Lesotho. Location: Michigan State University
Library, East Lansing, MI.
65:40286 Zakir, Mohammed; Wunnava, Phanindra
V. Factors affecting infant mortality rates: evidence from
cross-sectional data. Applied Economics Letters, Vol. 6, No. 5,
May 1999. 271-3 pp. London, England. In Eng.
"This paper
empirically tests for factors affecting infant mortality rates. Based
on a cross-sectional model (covering 117 countries for the year 1993)
that corrects for heteroscedasticity, the results show that fertility
rates, female participation in the labour force, per capita GNP, and
female literacy rates significantly affect infant mortality rates.
Surprisingly, government expenditure on health-care, as a percentage of
the GNP, does not play a major role in determining infant mortality
rates." The geographical scope is
worldwide.
Correspondence: P. V. Wunnava, Middlebury
College, Department of Economics, Middlebury, VT 05753. E-mail:
Phani.Wunnava@middlebury.edu. Location: Princeton University
Library (SXF).
Studies of age-specific mortality and of mortality in special groups defined by age.
65:40287 Bah, Sulaiman.
Diagnostic tests on assessing the quality of maternal orphanhood
data from the 1996 South African census and implications for the
indirect estimation of adult mortality. Population Studies Centre
Discussion Paper, No. 99-5, ISBN 0-7714-2191-5. Mar 1999. 41 pp.
University of Western Ontario, Population Studies Centre: London,
Canada. In Eng.
"In this paper, the maternal orphanhood data
from the 1996 [South African] census have been subjected to a battery
of diagnostic tests. The diagnostics attempted in the paper have shown
that among the factors that affect the estimates of maternal
orphanhood, the one with the least effect on the mortality estimates is
age misreporting.... It is concluded that more research is needed on
the role of the maternal orphanhood technique in an era of increasing
deaths due to AIDS in some population subgroups and in cases of
increasing ageing and low mortality in other population
subgroups."
Correspondence: University of Western
Ontario, Population Studies Centre, London, Ontario N6A 5C2, Canada.
Author's E-mail: SulaimanB@StatsSA.ppwv.gov.za. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40288 Behrman, Jere R.; Sickles, Robin C.;
Taubman, Paul. Causes, correlates and consequences of
death among older adults: some methodological approaches and
substantive analyses. ISBN 0-7923-8286-2. LC 98-39379. 1998. xi,
186 pp. Kluwer Academic: Dordrecht, Netherlands. In Eng.
"Why
are there differences in life expectancies among various demographic
groups? Why have these changes in life expectancies occurred? Many
reasons are given in the popular and more scholarly literatures. [This
study]...considers an integrated approach to investigating determinants
of and correlates of mortality in the United States--integrating
modeling, micro data, and modern econometric techniques. A number of
examples of applications are included, with some explorations of the
robustness of the results under alternative assumptions. The basic
purpose of this text is to increase our knowledge of mortality and to
illustrate how such an integrated approach can further our knowledge of
mortality and related phenomena."
Correspondence:
Kluwer Academic Publishers, P.O. Box 989, 3300 AZ Dordrecht,
Netherlands. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40289 Breeze, Elizabeth; Sloggett, Andy;
Fletcher, Astrid. Socioeconomic and demographic predictors
of mortality and institutional residence among middle aged and older
people: results from the Longitudinal Study. Journal of
Epidemiology and Community Health, Vol. 53, No. 12, Dec 1999. 765-74
pp. London, England. In Eng.
Using data from the Longitudinal
Study, the authors analyze socioeconomic and demographic predictors of
mortality and institutional residence in old age by sex in the United
Kingdom over the period 1971-1991. Secure living arrangements and
access to a car are factors affecting institutional residence and
mortality. "These results demonstrate persistence of inequalities
in health related outcomes throughout old age, both in those with
unfavourable circumstances in mid-life and in those who, in later life,
have lost earlier advantages."
Correspondence: E.
Breeze, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Department of
Epidemiology and Population Health, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT,
England. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40290 Gray, Rossarin S.; Gray,
Alan. Social aspects of mortality in young and middle
adulthood in Thailand. Journal of Population and Social Studies,
Vol. 8, No. 1, Jul 1999. 65-83, 165-6 pp. Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. In
Eng. with sum. in Tha.
"In this paper, we examine the
characteristics of adults who died at the ages of young to middle
adulthood (15-64 years), in the twelve-month period of follow-up of the
Survey of Population Change [in Thailand] 1995-96.... The objective is
to detect differences that may be associated with social
roles."
Correspondence: R. S. Gray, National
Statistical Office, Social Statistics Division, Larn Luang Road,
Bangkok 10100, Thailand. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
65:40291 Hurd, Michael D.
Predictors of mortality among the elderly. NBER Working Paper,
No. 7440, Dec 1999. 26, [1] pp. National Bureau of Economic Research
[NBER]: Cambridge, Massachusetts. In Eng.
"The objective of
this paper is to find the quantitative importance of some predictors of
mortality among the population aged 70 or over [in the United States].
The predictors are socio-economic indicators (income, wealth and
education), thirteen health indicators including a history of heart
attack or cancer, and subjective probabilities of survival. The
estimation is based on mortality between waves 1 and 2 of the Asset and
Health Dynamics among the Oldest-Old study. We find that the
relationship between socio-economic indicators and mortality declines
with age, that the 13 health indicators are strong predictors of
mortality and that the subjective survival probabilities predict
mortality even after controlling for socio-economic indicators and the
health conditions."
Correspondence: National Bureau of
Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138.
Author's E-mail: mhurd@rand.org. Location: Princeton
University Library (PF).
65:40292 Meller, Ingeborg; Fichter, Manfred
M.; Schröppel, Hildegard. Mortality risk in the octo-
and nonagenarians: longitudinal results of an epidemiological follow-up
community study. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical
Neurosciences, Vol. 249, No. 4, Aug 1999. 180-9 pp. Berlin, Germany. In
Eng.
"The object of the study was the assessment of the
mortality risk for persons in a representative two-wave community
sample assessed longitudinally. In the first cross-section a total of
358 (89.1%) subjects of Munich, Germany, aged 85 years and above were
interviewed by research physicians. One year later 263 (73.5%) persons
were reexamined. Death certificate diagnoses were obtained after an
interval of 4 years 8 months. 58% of the total sample were deceased.
Sociodemographic factors, mental disorders, subjective health status
and need for care were analysed in relation to mortality by Cox
regression. The probability of death was increased in those diagnosed
as having a dementia or depressive disorder, in those of increasing
age, living in institutions, being in need of care and of bad health
status.... Need for care was the most powerful predictor of
mortality."
Correspondence: I. Meller, University of
Munich, Department of Psychiatry, Nußbaumstraße 7, 80336
Munich, Germany. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40293 Østbye, Truls; Steenhuis,
Runa; Wolfson, Christina; Walton, Ruth; Hill, Gerry.
Predictors of five-year mortality in older Canadians: the Canadian
Study of Health and Aging. Journal of the American Geriatrics
Society, Vol. 47, No. 10, 1999. 1,249-54 pp. Baltimore, Maryland. In
Eng.
The factors affecting five-year mortality among older
Canadians are analyzed using data from the 1991 Canadian Study of
Health and Aging. The data concern 8,949 individuals living in the
community and 2,914 individuals who underwent an extensive clinical
examination. "Multivariate models showed that the odds of death
within 5 years increased with age. This effect remained after
adjustment for all other variables. Odds of death increased with
institutionalization and with increasing cognitive and physical
impairment. Although vision and hearing problems and the presence of
heart disease, stroke, and diabetes were all strongly related to 5-year
mortality in univariate, unadjusted analyses, their contributions were
minimal in the multivariate analyses. Increased Body Mass Index was
associated with lower mortality in both univariate and multivariate
analyses."
Correspondence: T. Østbye, Duke
University Medical Center, Department of Community and Family Medicine,
Durham, NC 27710. E-mail: ostby001@mc.duke.edu. Location:
Princeton University Library (SZ).
65:40294 Parnell, Allan M.; Owens, Cynthia
R. Evaluation of U.S. mortality patterns at old ages using
the Medicare enrollment data base. Demographic Research, Vol. 1,
1999. Rostock, Germany. In Eng.
"We evaluate the consistency
of age-specific mortality patterns for older Americans using the Health
Care Financing Administration's (HCFA's) Medicare Enrollment Data Base
(EDB), a data set that includes over 30 million records. To do this, we
compare the mortality curves across regions within race and sex groups,
and we compare national mortality curves of white men and women
relative to African American and Puerto Rican men and women.... Both
the period and cohort age at death data for whites in the Medicare EDB
appear to be very consistent, at least up to age 95, perhaps higher for
women. Above age 100 the patterns become extremely inconsistent.
However, questions remain about the age-specific mortality patterns of
African Americans, especially the rates for
men."
Correspondence: A. M. Parnell, McMillan and Moss
Research, Mebane, North Carolina.
65:40295 Wittwer-Backofen, Ursula.
Disparities in the mortality of the aged: comparing regions.
Biological versus socioeconomic determinants: a regional study of
Hesse. [Disparitäten der Alterssterblichkeit im regionalen
Vergleich. Biologische versus sozioökonomische Determinanten:
regionale Studie für den Raum Hessen.] Materialien zur
Bevölkerungswissenschaft, Vol. 95, 1999. v, 285 pp. Bundesinstitut
für Bevölkerungsforschung: Wiesbaden, Germany. In Ger.
This study examines the determinants of mortality differences at
ages over 60. The author first summarizes the connections between life
expectancy and a range of factors including genetics, gender,
environment, and social factors. She then describes her study of
mortality differentials in the German state of Hesse, including
life-table and cause-of-death analyses. The focus is on the
socioeconomic and environmental determinants of mortality and life
expectancy. Data are from official sources for the period
1987-1993.
Correspondence: Bundesinstitut für
Bevölkerungsforschung, Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 4, Postfach 5528,
65180 Wiesbaden, Germany. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
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.
65:40296 Anderson, Robert N.
United States life tables, 1997. NCHS National Vital
Statistics Reports, Vol. 47, No. 28, Dec 13, 1999. 37 pp. U.S. National
Center for Health Statistics [NCHS]: Hyattsville, Maryland. In Eng.
"The life tables in this report are current life tables for
the United States based on age-specific death rates in 1997. Beginning
with 1997 mortality data, complete U.S. life tables were constructed
using a new methodology that replaces the abridged life table
methodology used previously. The methodology is similar to that used in
the decennial life tables. Also, life expectancy and other life table
values are shown for ages 85 to 100 years for the first time as part of
the annual U.S. life tables. Data used to prepare these life tables are
1997 final mortality statistics; July 1, 1997, population estimates;
and data from the Medicare program. Presented are complete life tables
by age, race, and sex."
Correspondence: U.S. National
Center for Health Statistics, 6525 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, MD
20782-2003. E-mail: nchsquery@cdc.gov. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
65:40297 Bell, Felicitie C.; Wade, Alice
H. Actuarial tables based on the U.S. life tables:
1989-91. Actuarial Study, No. 113, Pub. Order No. 11-11543. Mar
1998. iv, 147 pp. U.S. Social Security Administration: Baltimore,
Maryland. In Eng.
Actuarial tables for the United States by sex and
race are presented based on the official life tables for 1989-1991.
"The actuarial functions in this study can be used to calculate
present values of expected future payments contingent upon the death or
survival of a designated individual. A series of periodic payments to
continue during the life of an individual is called a life annuity. A
payment to be made on the death of an individual is called a life
insurance. As with the 1989-91 decennial life tables, the actuarial
functions included...here were calculated by sex and for both sexes
combined for the total population, the white population, the population
other than white and the black population. For each race/sex
combination described, actuarial functions were tabulated using
interest rates of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, 10%, 11%, and
12%."
Correspondence: U.S. Social Security
Administration, Office of the Chief Actuary, Room 700, Altmeyer
Building, Baltimore, MD 21235. Location: Princeton University
Library (SPR).
65:40298 Del Panta, Lorenzo.
Constructing abbreviated provincial life tables for 1881-1882.
[Costruzione di tavole di mortalità provinciali abbreviate
1881-82.] Bollettino di Demografia Storica, No. 29, 1998. 61-9 pp.
Bologna, Italy. In Ita.
The author presents some of the
methodological issues involved in constructing abbreviated life tables
for each of the Italian provinces for the years immediately prior to
Italy's unification, and for the Kingdom of Italy after unification.
Data are from the 1881 Italian census and age-specific mortality
statistics for the years 1881-1882.
Correspondence: L. Del
Panta, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Dipartimento di
Scienze Statistiche, Via Belle Arti 41, 40126 Bologna, Italy. E-mail:
delpanta@stat.unibo.it. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
65:40299 Ishikawa, Akira. Life
tables by marital status: 1995. Jinko Mondai Kenkyu/Journal of
Population Problems, Vol. 55, No. 1, 1999. 35-60 pp. Tokyo, Japan. In
Jpn.
Life tables for Japan for 1995 are presented by age and
sex.
Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40300 Kannisto, Väinö; Turpeinen,
Oiva; Nieminen, Mauri. Finnish life tables since
1751. Demographic Research, Vol. 1, 1999. Rostock, Germany. In
Eng.
"A recently completed series of life tables from 1751 to
1995 is used for identifying four stages of mortality transition in
Finland, separated by the years 1880, 1945 and 1970. The cyclical
fluctuation of the death rate in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries is measured and examined in relation to epidemics, famines
and wars. Important permanent changes in mortality also took place in
this early period. Each of the successive stages of transition produced
its own characteristic pattern of mortality change which contrasted
with those of the other stages. Finally, the age profile of the years
added to life is drawn to illustrate the end result of each stage of
mortality transition."
Correspondence: V. Kannisto,
Campo Grande 1 6-D, 1700-086 Lisbon, Portugal.
65:40301 Lischke, Ralph-Jürgen.
Caspar Neumann (1648-1715): a contribution to the history of life
tables. [Caspar Neumann (1648-1715): ein Beitrag zur Geschichte
der Sterbetafeln.] Edition IFAD, No. III, Nov 1998. 17 pp. Institut
für Angewandte Demographie: Berlin, Germany. In Ger.
The
author gives an overview of the history of the concept of life tables
and then describes the role of Caspar Neumann as a significant
influence on Halley and Leibniz and a forerunner of Johann Peter
Süßmilch, the founder of statistical population studies in
Germany.
Correspondence: Institut für Angewandte
Demographie, Sophienstraße 3, 10178 Berlin, Germany. E-mail:
ifad@ifad.b.shuttle.de. Location: Princeton University Library
(SPR).
65:40302 Panama. Dirección de
Estadística y Censo (Panama City, Panama).
Abbreviated life tables for Panama, by province and sex: 1990-1995
to 2005-2010. [Tablas abreviadas de vida de la República,
por provincia, según sexo: quinquenio 1990-95 al 2005-10.]
Estadística Panameña, Boletín Especial, No. 4, May
1996. 51 pp. Panama City, Panama. In Spa.
Abbreviated life tables
are presented for Panama by sex and province for the five-year periods
1990-1995 to 2005-2010.
Correspondence: Dirección de
Estadística y Censo, Contraloría General de la
República, Apartado 5213, Panama City 5, Panama. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40303 United States. National Center for
Health Statistics [NCHS] (Hyattsville, Maryland). U.S.
decennial life tables for 1989-91. Volume 1, Number 4, United States
life tables eliminating certain causes of death. Pub. Order No.
DHHS (PHS) 99-1150-4. LC 85-600190. Sep 1999. v, 184 pp. Hyattsville,
Maryland. In Eng.
"This report, the fourth in a set of reports
containing life table data for the United States and each State for the
period 1989-91, shows abridged cause-elimination life tables for 51
selected causes of death for the total United States. These life tables
address the hypothetical mortality experience of a cohort assuming that
a particular cause of death is eliminated. Four sets of detailed tables
showing multiple-decrement and cause-elimination life table functions
for each cause of death are presented. Each of the four sets contains
seven tables, one each for total population, total males, total
females, white males, white females, black males, and black females.
The report also includes a description of the methodology used to
construct the cause-elimination life
tables."
Correspondence: U.S. National Center for
Health Statistics, Data Dissemination Branch, 6525 Belcrest Road, Room
1064, Hyattsville, MD 20782-2003. E-mail: nchsquery@cdc.gov.
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.
65:40304 Abraído-Lanza, Ana F.;
Dohrenwend, Bruce P.; Ng-Mak, Daisy S.; Turner, J. Blake.
The Latino mortality paradox: a test of the "salmon bias"
and healthy migrant hypotheses. American Journal of Public Health,
Vol. 89, No. 10, Oct 1999. 1,543-8 pp. Washington, D.C. In Eng.
The
author explore possible explanations for the fact that, although
Latinos in the United States have a worse socioeconomic profile than
non-Latino whites, they also have a lower mortality rate. The two
explanations considered are the salmon bias hypothesis, which
postulates that Latino migrants may return to their country of origin
and so become statistically immortal, and an alternative hypothesis
that suggests that the migration process favors the selection of
healthier migrants. Data are from the NLMS Public Use File and concern
301,718 non-Latino whites and 17,375 Latinos. The authors conclude that
neither hypothesis explains the lower mortality of
Latinos.
Correspondence: A. F. Abraído-Lanza,
Columbia University, Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, 60
Haven Avenue B-3, New York, NY 10032. E-mail: AFL7@columbia.edu.
Location: Princeton University Library (SZ).
65:40305 Allison, David B.; Fontaine, Kevin
R.; Manson, JoAnn E.; Stevens, June; VanItallie, Theodore B.
Annual deaths attributable to obesity in the United States.
JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 282, No. 16,
Oct 27, 1999. 1,530-8 pp. Chicago, Illinois. In Eng.
An attempt is
made to estimate the number of obesity-related deaths in the United
States. "Data from 5 prospective cohort studies (the Alameda
Community Health Study, the Framingham Heart Study, the Tecumseh
Community Health Study, the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention
Study I, and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I
Epidemiologic Follow-up Study) and 1 published study (the Nurses'
Health Study) in conjunction with 1991 national statistics on body mass
index distributions, population size, and overall deaths.... The
estimated number of annual deaths attributable to obesity among U.S.
adults is approximately 280,000 based on HRs [hazard ratios] from all
subjects and 325,000 based on HRs from only nonsmokers and
never-smokers."
Correspondence: D. B. Allison, St.
Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital, Obesity Research Center, 1090 Amsterdam
Avenue, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10025. E-mail: dba8@columbia.edu.
Location: Princeton University Library (SZ).
65:40306 Baird, Janis; Osmond, Clive; Bowes,
Ian; Phillips, David I. W. Mortality from birth to adult
life: a longitudinal study of twins. Early Human Development, Vol.
53, No. 1, Nov 1998. 73-9 pp. Limerick, Ireland. In Eng.
"We
have examined mortality from birth through adult life in a cohort of
2,562 twins born in Birmingham, [England], between 1950 and 1954. Their
birthweights and obstetric details had been recorded as part of a
longitudinal study of births in Birmingham. There were a total of 151
perinatal deaths...and 227 infant deaths.... 70 deaths occurred after
the age of one year. In comparison with national mortality rates in the
UK, overall mortality in the twins was high.... Mortality was highest
in the first year of life and, although it then declined progressively,
it remained significantly higher than that of the general population
until age 5 years.... These studies not only underline the excess
mortality associated with twin birth but show for the first time that
this excess mortality extends into
childhood."
Correspondence: D. I. W. Phillips,
Southampton General Hospital, MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit,
Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, England. Location:
Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40307 Benetos, Athanase; Rudnichi, Annie;
Thomas, Frédérique; Safar, Michel; Guize, Louis.
Influence of heart rate on mortality in a French population: role
of age, gender, and blood pressure. Hypertension, Vol. 33, No. 1,
Jan 1999. 44-52 pp. Baltimore, Maryland. In Eng.
"The aim of
the present study was to assess the effects of high heart rate [HR] on
mortality in different subgroups in a French population according to
age, gender, and blood pressure levels. We studied 19,386 subjects
(12,123 men, 7,263 women), aged 40 to 69 years, who had a routine
health examination at the Centre d'Investigations Préventives et
Cliniques (IPC) between 1974 and 1977.... The association of HR with
cardiovascular mortality in men was (1) related to a strong association
with coronary but not cerebrovascular mortality, (2) independent of age
and hypertension, and (3) influenced by the level of pulse pressure; in
patients with high pulse pressure, accelerated HR was not associated
with increased cardiovascular mortality. In conclusion, in a large
French population, accelerated resting HR represents an independent
predictor of noncardiovascular mortality in both genders, and of
cardiovascular mortality in men, independent of age and the presence of
hypertension."
Correspondence: A. Benetos,
Investigations Préventives et Cliniques, 23 Rue de Lubeck, 75116
Paris, France. Location: Princeton University Library (SPR).
65:40308 Bosman, Hans; Schrijvers, Carola;
Mackenbach, Johan P. Socioeconomic inequalities in
mortality and importance of perceived control: cohort study.
British Medical Journal, Vol. 319, No. 7223, Dec 4, 1999. 1,469-70 pp.
London, England. In Eng.
This study examines the contribution of
perceived control to socioeconomic differences in mortality. The data
were collected in the Dutch town of Eindhoven in 1991 as part of the
GLOBE study on health and living conditions. The results indicate that
"low socioeconomic status is related to mortality partly because
people with a low socioeconomic status more often perceive low control.
This supports hypotheses on the importance of perceived control for
socioeconomic inequalities in health. Perceptions of low control partly
originate in adverse socioeconomic conditions during
childhood."
Correspondence: H. Bosman, Erasmus
University, Medical School, Department of Public Health, P.O. Box 1738,
3000 DR Rotterdam, Netherlands. E-mail: h.bosma@np.unimaas.nl.
Location: Princeton University Library (SZ).
65:40309 Burgoa, Mar; Regidor, Enrique;
Rodriguez, Carmen; Gutierrez-Fisac, Juan L. Mortality by
cause of death and marital status in Spain. European Journal of
Public Health, Vol. 8, No. 1, Mar 1998. 37-42 pp. Oxford, England. In
Eng.
"The purpose of this study is to show the differences in
mortality from the leading causes of death by marital status among men
and women in Spain. An analysis was made of persons aged 25 years and
older who died in Spain during 1991. The mortality differences by
marital status and sex were analysed for all the deaths and for the
most frequent causes of death, using the ratios of age-adjusted death
rates calculated from Poisson log-linear models. For both men and
women, mortality was always higher in single and widowed persons than
in married persons, except for a non-statistically significant
mortality from diabetes mellitus and cirrhosis of the liver in single
women. Divorced and separated men had a higher mortality than married
men for all the causes of death taken together; the mortality among
divorced and separated women, on the other hand, was lower than married
women. Divorced and separated men and women generally had a lower
mortality than married persons for the different causes of death,
except for traffic accidents, suicide, cirrhosis of the liver and HIV
infection, where it was higher."
Correspondence: E.
Regidor, Ministry of Health, Department of Epidemiology, Paseo del
Prado 18-20, 28071 Madrid, Spain. Location: Princeton
University Library (SPR).
65:40310 Calle, Eugenia E.; Thun, Michael J.;
Petrelli, Jennifer M.; Rodriguez, Carmen; Heath, Clark W.
Body-mass index and mortality in a prospective cohort of U.S.
adults. New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 341, No. 15, Oct 7,
1999. 1,097-105 pp. Boston, Massachusetts. In Eng.
"Body-mass
index...is known to be associated with overall mortality. [The authors]
investigated the effects of age, race, sex, smoking status, and history
of disease on the relation between body-mass index and mortality.... In
a prospective study of more than 1 million adults in the United States
(457,785 men and 588,369 women), 201,622 deaths occurred during 14
years of follow-up. [They] examined the relation between body-mass
index and the risk of death from all causes in four subgroups
categorized according to smoking status and history of disease.... The
risk of death from all causes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, or other
diseases increases throughout the range of moderate and severe
overweight for both men and women in all age groups." The data are
from the Cancer Prevention Study II that began in
1982.
Correspondence: E. E. Calle, American Cancer Society,
1599 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30329. Location: Princeton
University Library (SZ).
65:40311 Camarero Rioja, Luis A.; Gómez
Redondo, Rosa; Jiménez Aboitiz, Ricardo. Dying in
the city or in the country: an analysis of urban-rural mortality
differentials. [Morir en la ciudad y en el campo: análisis
de las diferencias urbano-rurales en mortalidad.] Sociología,
No. 23, May-Aug 1999. 97-129 pp. Valladolid, Spain. In Spa. with sum.
in Eng.
An analysis of differences in the causes of death in Spain
between rural and urban areas by age and sex is presented, based on all
deaths registered over the period 1990-1992. Although the results
indicate that there is still a small difference in life expectancy
between rural and urban areas, with the advantage being with rural
areas, the general trend is toward a diminution of those differences
and toward a convergence in the lifestyles of rural and urban
residents.
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