The impact of avoidable mortality on life expectancy at birth in Spain: changes between three periods, from 1987 to 2001

• Published in: Journal of epidemiology and community health (1979) Vol. 62; no. 9; pp. 783 - 789
• Main Authors: Gispert, R, Serra, I, Barés, M A, Puig, X, Puigdefàbregas, A, Freitas, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 01-09-2008; BMJ Publishing Group; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Age groups; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Breast cancer; Cancer; Cause of Death; Causes of death; Child; Child, Preschool; Community health; Death; Disease; Epidemiology; Female; General aspects; Health policy; Health services; Health Status; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Life expectancy; Life Expectancy - trends; Male; Medical sciences; Melanoma; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Mortality; Mortality - trends; Psychoeducational intervention; Public health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Quality Indicators, Health Care; Research Reports; Sex Factors; Spain - epidemiology; Trends; Young adults; Europe; Spain; Medicine; Life expectancy; Mortality; Change; Birth; Epidemiology; Public health
• ISSN: 0143-005X; 1470-2738
• DOI: 10.1136/jech.2007.066027

Objective:To evaluate the impact of avoidable mortality on the changes in life expectancy at birth in Spain.Methods:Standard life table techniques and the Arriaga method were used to calculate and to decompose life expectancy (LE) changes by age, effects and groups of causes of avoidable mortality among three periods (1987–91, 1992–6 and 1997–2001). A list of causes of avoidable mortality reached by consensus and previously published in Spain was used.Main results:Life expectancy increased in all ages and both sexes. The main contribution to the increase of LE at birth was due to people over 50. Mortality in young adults produced a reduction in LE between the first two periods, but there was an important increase in LE between the last two periods; in both cases, this was the result of factors amenable to health policy interventions. The highest improvement in LE was due to non-avoidable causes, but avoidable mortality through health service interventions showed improvements in LE in those younger than 1 year and in those aged 45–75 years.Conclusions:Making a distinction between several groups of causes of avoidable mortality and using decomposition by causes, ages and effects allowed us to better explain the impact of avoidable mortality on the LE of the whole population and gave a new dimension to this indicator that could be very useful in public health.