Monitoring health inequalities: life expectancy and small area deprivation in New Zealand

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in health are of great concern, and life expectancy provides a readily understood means of monitoring such inequalities. The objectives of this study are to (1) measure life expectancy by socioec...

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Main Authors: Cheung Jit, Tobias Martin I
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2003-04-01
Series:Population Health Metrics
Online Access:http://www.pophealthmetrics.com/content/1/1/2
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author Cheung Jit
Tobias Martin I
author_facet Cheung Jit
Tobias Martin I
author_sort Cheung Jit
collection DOAJ
description <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in health are of great concern, and life expectancy provides a readily understood means of monitoring such inequalities. The objectives of this study are to (1) measure life expectancy by socioeconomic deprivation and ethnicity, and (2) describe trends in the deprivation gradient in life expectancy since the mid-1990s.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Three years of national mortality data have been combined with mid-point population denominators to produce life tables within nationally determined levels of small area deprivation (NZDep96) for three ethnic group: European, Mäori and Pacific peoples. This process has been repeated for the periods 1995–97, 1996–98, 1997–99 and 1998–2000.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was a strong relationship between increasing small area deprivation and decreasing life expectancy. Through the mid- to late 1990s, males living in the most deprived small areas in New Zealand experienced life expectancies at birth approximately nine years less than their counterparts living in the least deprived areas; for females the corresponding difference was under seven years.</p> <p>Mäori and Pacific life expectancies at birth were lower than those of Europeans at each level of deprivation.</p> <p>Over the study period (1995–2000) the gradient in life expectancy across deprivation deciles remained stable.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Small area deprivation analyses of life expectancy could be repeated routinely at regular intervals, which would provide a useful approach to monitoring trends in socioeconomic, geographic, ethnic and gender inequalities in mortality.</p>
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spelling doaj.art-6bed13d4f953472bb522a12fe5c495852022-12-21T22:09:56ZengBMCPopulation Health Metrics1478-79542003-04-0111210.1186/1478-7954-1-2Monitoring health inequalities: life expectancy and small area deprivation in New ZealandCheung JitTobias Martin I<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in health are of great concern, and life expectancy provides a readily understood means of monitoring such inequalities. The objectives of this study are to (1) measure life expectancy by socioeconomic deprivation and ethnicity, and (2) describe trends in the deprivation gradient in life expectancy since the mid-1990s.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Three years of national mortality data have been combined with mid-point population denominators to produce life tables within nationally determined levels of small area deprivation (NZDep96) for three ethnic group: European, Mäori and Pacific peoples. This process has been repeated for the periods 1995–97, 1996–98, 1997–99 and 1998–2000.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was a strong relationship between increasing small area deprivation and decreasing life expectancy. Through the mid- to late 1990s, males living in the most deprived small areas in New Zealand experienced life expectancies at birth approximately nine years less than their counterparts living in the least deprived areas; for females the corresponding difference was under seven years.</p> <p>Mäori and Pacific life expectancies at birth were lower than those of Europeans at each level of deprivation.</p> <p>Over the study period (1995–2000) the gradient in life expectancy across deprivation deciles remained stable.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Small area deprivation analyses of life expectancy could be repeated routinely at regular intervals, which would provide a useful approach to monitoring trends in socioeconomic, geographic, ethnic and gender inequalities in mortality.</p>http://www.pophealthmetrics.com/content/1/1/2
spellingShingle Cheung Jit
Tobias Martin I
Monitoring health inequalities: life expectancy and small area deprivation in New Zealand
Population Health Metrics
title Monitoring health inequalities: life expectancy and small area deprivation in New Zealand
title_full Monitoring health inequalities: life expectancy and small area deprivation in New Zealand
title_fullStr Monitoring health inequalities: life expectancy and small area deprivation in New Zealand
title_full_unstemmed Monitoring health inequalities: life expectancy and small area deprivation in New Zealand
title_short Monitoring health inequalities: life expectancy and small area deprivation in New Zealand
title_sort monitoring health inequalities life expectancy and small area deprivation in new zealand
url http://www.pophealthmetrics.com/content/1/1/2
work_keys_str_mv AT cheungjit monitoringhealthinequalitieslifeexpectancyandsmallareadeprivationinnewzealand
AT tobiasmartini monitoringhealthinequalitieslifeexpectancyandsmallareadeprivationinnewzealand