Cancer mortality by educational level in the city of Barcelona

Socio-economic inequalities in lung cancer mortality in Spain: a nation-wide study using area-based deprivation

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer is the main cause of cancer mortality worldwide and in Spain. Several previous studies have documented socio-economic inequalities in lung cancer mortality but these have focused on specific provinces or cities. The goal of this study was to describe lung cancer mortality in Spain by sex as a function of socio-economic deprivation.

METHODS

We analysed all registered deaths from lung cancer during the period 2011-2017 in Spain. Mortality data was obtained from the National Institute of Statistics, and socio-economic level was measured with the small-area deprivation index developed by the Spanish Society of Epidemiology, with the census tract of residence at the time of death as the unit of analysis. We computed crude and age-standardized rates per 100,000 inhabitants by sex, deprivation quintile, and type of municipality (rural, semi-rural, urban) considering the 2013 European standard population (ASR-E). We further calculated ASR-E ratios between the most deprived (Q5) and the least deprived (Q1) areas and mapped census tract smoothed standardized lung cancer mortality ratios by sex.

RESULTS

We observed 148,425 lung cancer deaths (80.7% in men), with 73.5 deaths per 100,000 men and 17.1 deaths per 100,000 women. Deaths from lung cancer in men were five times more frequent than in women (ASR-E ratio = 5.3). Women residing in the least deprived areas had higher mortality from lung cancer (ASR-E = 22.2), compared to women residing in the most deprived areas (ASR-E = 13.2), with a clear gradient among the quintiles of deprivation. For men, this pattern was reversed, with the highest mortality occurring in areas of lower socio-economic level (ASR-E = 99.0 in Q5 vs. ASR-E = 86.6 in Q1). These socio-economic inequalities remained fairly stable over time and across urban and rural areas.

CONCLUSIONS

Socio-economic status is strongly related to lung cancer mortality, showing opposite patterns in men and women, such that mortality is highest in women residing in the least deprived areas and men residing in the most deprived areas. Systematic surveillance of lung cancer mortality by socio-economic status may facilitate the assessment of public health interventions aimed at mitigating cancer inequalities in Spain.

Geographical variations in cancer mortality and social inequalities in southern Spain (Andalusia). 2002-2013

INTRODUCTION

Geographical variations in cancer mortality can be explained, in part, by their association with social inequalities. The objective of our study was to analyse the spatial pattern of mortality in relation to the most common causes of cancer in the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and its possible association with social inequalities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A small area cross-sectional study in Andalusia, with census tracts as units of spatial analysis, for the period 2002-2013. Cases and person-years, sex and age group came from the Longitudinal Population Database of Andalusia. Standardized mortality rates and smoothed risk ratios were calculated using the Besag, York and Mollié model for lung, colorectal, breast, prostate, bladder and stomach cancer. In order to evaluate the association with social inequalities we included the deprivation index of the census tract as a covariate.

RESULTS

The results show an East-West mortality pattern with higher risk in the west for lung and bladder cancer among men, and breast cancer among women. For all of Andalusia, the association between deprivation index of the census tract and mortality relative risks is positive and significant for lung, stomach and bladder cancers in men, while in women we observed a negative association for lung cancer and a positive for stomach cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge regarding the spatial distribution of cancer mortality and the socioeconomic inequalities related should contribute to the design of specific health and social policies-aimed at tackling cancer mortality and social inequalities in areas of high mortality and/or levels of deprivation.

Inequalities in Cancer Deaths by Age, Gender and Education

AIM

The economy of each state provides a significant amount of money into the health care system with the aim of knowing the health status of its population in the context of socioeconomic characteristics for effective resource allocation. In recent years, there is a growing number of cancer deaths in Slovakia. Therefore, the structure of cancer deaths according to its primary determinants, such as age, sex and education with the aim of effective implementation of prevention programs in Slovakia was examined.

METHODS

Main source of data on deaths from 1996 to 2014 was provided by National Health Information Centre in Slovakia. However, data were available only from 2011. Standardized mortality rate per 100,000 inhabitants was estimated by the method of direct standardization using European standard population. The R project for statistical computing was used for calculation of statistically significant differences among various groups of mortality.

RESULTS

The results show that people with primary education die from cancer later than people with higher education. However, major differences related to both sex and age are present in people with university education. A different variety of cancers occur in childhood (neoplasm of brain), adolescents (neoplasm of bone), young adults (neoplasm of brain), or adults (lung cancer and breast cancer). Malignant neoplasm of brain was more prevalent at higher education levels, Malignant neoplasm of bladder and Malignant melanoma of skin were more prevalent at the university level of education.

CONCLUSIONS

The results can be useful for economists to define the health priorities in each country, make the financial decisions in economics, and thus contribute to better health, economic growth, as well as effective spending of health expenditures.

Educational inequality in cancer mortality: a record linkage study of over 35 million Italians

PURPOSE

Large studies are needed to evaluate socioeconomic inequality for site-specific cancer mortality. We conducted a longitudinal census-based national study to quantify the relative inequality in cancer mortality among educational levels in Italy.

METHODS

We linked the 2011 Italian census with the 2012 and 2013 death registries. Educational inequality in overall cancer and site-specific cancer mortality were evaluated by computing the mortality rate ratio (MRR).

RESULTS

A total of 35,708,445 subjects aged 30-74 years and 147,981 cancer deaths were registered. Compared to the lowest level of education (none or primary school), the MRR for all cancers in the highest level (university) was 0.57 (95% CI 0.55; 0.58) in men and 0.84 (95% CI 0.81; 0.87) in women. Higher education was associated with reduced risk of mortality from lip, oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, colon and liver in both sexes. Higher education (university) was associated with decreased risk of lung cancer in men (MRR: 0.43, 95% CI 0.41; 0.46), but not in women (MRR: 1.00, 95% CI 0.92; 1.10). Highly educated women had a reduced risk of mortality from cervical cancer than lower educated women (MRR: 0.39, 95% CI 0.27; 0.56), but they had a similar risk for breast cancer (MRR: 1.01, 95% CI 0.94; 1.09).

CONCLUSIONS

Education is inversely associated with total cancer mortality, and the association was stronger in men. Different patterns and trends in tobacco smoking in men and women account for at least most of the gender differences.

Social inequalities and cancer: can the European deprivation index predict patients' difficulties in health care access? a pilot study

Context

The European Deprivation Index (EDI), is a new ecological estimate for Socio-Economic Status (SES). This study postulates that Time-To-Treatment could be used as a cancer quality-of -care surrogate in order to identify the association between cancer patient's SES and quality of care in a French comprehensive cancer center.

Methods

retrospective mono-centered cohort study. All consecutive incoming adult patients diagnosed for breast cancer(BC), prostate cancer(PC), colorectal cancer (CRC), lung cancer(LC) or sarcoma(S) were included between January 2013 and December 2013. The association of EDI and Time-To-Diagnosis(TTD), as well as Time-To-Treatment(TTT) was analyzed using a cox regression, and a strata analysis per tumor site was performed.

Results

969 patients were included. Primitive tumor site was 505 BC(52%), 169 PC(17%), 145 LC(15%), 116 CRC(12%), and 34 S(4%). Median TTD was 1.41 months (Q1-Q3 0.5 to 3.5 months). Median TTT was 0.9 months (0.4 - 1.4). In a multivariate analysis, we identified the tumor site as a predictive factor to influence TTD, shorter for BC (0.75months, [0.30- 1.9]) than PC (4.69 months [1.6-29.7]), HR 0.27 95%CI= [0.22-0.34], p < 0.001. TTT was also shorter for BC (0.75months [0.4-1.1]) than PC (2.02 [0.9-3.2]), HR 0.32 95%CI= [0.27-0.39], p < 0.001. EDI quintiles were not found associated with either TTT or TTD.

Conclusions

Deprivation estimated by the EDI does not appear to be related to an extension of the Time-to-Diagnosis or Time-to-Treatment in our real-life population. Further research should be done to identify other frailty-sensitive factors that could be responsible for delays in care.

Cancer mortality by country of birth, sex, and socioeconomic position in Sweden, 1961-2009

In 2010, cancer deaths accounted for more than 15% of all deaths worldwide, and this fraction is estimated to rise in the coming years. Increased cancer mortality has been observed in immigrant populations, but a comprehensive analysis by country of birth has not been conducted. We followed all individuals living in Sweden between 1961 and 2009 (7,109,327 men and 6,958,714 women), and calculated crude cancer mortality rates and age-standardized rates (ASRs) using the world population for standardization. We observed a downward trend in all-site ASRs over the past two decades in men regardless of country of birth but no such trend was found in women. All-site cancer mortality increased with decreasing levels of education regardless of sex and country of birth (p for trend <0.001). We also compared cancer mortality rates among foreign-born (13.9%) and Sweden-born (86.1%) individuals and determined the effect of education level and sex estimated by mortality rate ratios (MRRs) using multivariable Poisson regression. All-site cancer mortality was slightly higher among foreign-born than Sweden-born men (MRR = 1.05, 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.07), but similar mortality risks was found among foreign-born and Sweden-born women. Men born in Angola, Laos, and Cambodia had the highest cancer mortality risk. Women born in all countries except Iceland, Denmark, and Mexico had a similar or smaller risk than women born in Sweden. Cancer-specific mortality analysis showed an increased risk for cervical and lung cancer in both sexes but a decreased risk for colon, breast, and prostate cancer mortality among foreign-born compared with Sweden-born individuals. Further studies are required to fully understand the causes of the observed inequalities in mortality across levels of education and countries of birth.

Cancer mortality inequalities in urban areas: a Bayesian small area analysis in Spanish cities

Background

Intra-urban inequalities in mortality have been infrequently analysed in European contexts. The aim of the present study was to analyse patterns of cancer mortality and their relationship with socioeconomic deprivation in small areas in 11 Spanish cities.

Methods

It is a cross-sectional ecological design using mortality data (years 1996-2003). Units of analysis were the census tracts. A deprivation index was calculated for each census tract. In order to control the variability in estimating the risk of dying we used Bayesian models. We present the RR of the census tract with the highest deprivation vs. the census tract with the lowest deprivation.

Results

In the case of men, socioeconomic inequalities are observed in total cancer mortality in all cities, except in Castellon, Cordoba and Vigo, while Barcelona (RR = 1.53 95%CI 1.42-1.67), Madrid (RR = 1.57 95%CI 1.49-1.65) and Seville (RR = 1.53 95%CI 1.36-1.74) present the greatest inequalities. In general Barcelona and Madrid, present inequalities for most types of cancer. Among women for total cancer mortality, inequalities have only been found in Barcelona and Zaragoza. The excess number of cancer deaths due to socioeconomic deprivation was 16,413 for men and 1,142 for women.

Conclusion

This study has analysed inequalities in cancer mortality in small areas of cities in Spain, not only relating this mortality with socioeconomic deprivation, but also calculating the excess mortality which may be attributed to such deprivation. This knowledge is particularly useful to determine which geographical areas in each city need intersectorial policies in order to promote a healthy environment.

Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality in Barcelona: 1992-2003

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to assess trends in cancer mortality by educational level in Barcelona from 1992 to 2003.

METHODS

The study population comprised Barcelona inhabitants aged 20 years or older. Data on cancer deaths were supplied by the system of information on mortality. Educational level was obtained from the municipal census. Age-standardized rates by educational level were calculated. We also fitted Poisson regression models to estimate the relative index of inequality (RII) and the Slope Index of Inequalities (SII). All were calculated for each sex and period (1992-1994, 1995-1997, 1998-2000, and 2001-2003).

RESULTS

Cancer mortality was higher in men and women with lower educational level throughout the study period. Less-schooled men had higher mortality by stomach, mouth and pharynx, oesophagus, larynx and lung cancer. In women, there were educational inequalities for cervix uteri, liver and colon cancer. Inequalities of overall and specific types of cancer mortality remained stable in Barcelona; although a slight reduction was observed for some cancers.

CONCLUSION

This study has identified those cancer types presenting the greatest inequalities between men and women in recent years and shown that in Barcelona there is a stable trend in inequalities in the burden of cancer.

Inequalities in mortality of men by oral and pharyngeal cancer in Barcelona, Spain and São Paulo, Brazil, 1995-2003

Background

Large inequalities of mortality by most cancers in general, by mouth and pharynx cancer in particular, have been associated to behaviour and geopolitical factors. The assessment of socioeconomic covariates of cancer mortality may be relevant to a full comprehension of distal determinants of the disease, and to appraise opportune interventions. The objective of this study was to compare socioeconomic inequalities in male mortality by oral and pharyngeal cancer in two major cities of Europe and South America.

Methods

The official system of information on mortality provided data on deaths in each city; general censuses informed population data. Age-adjusted death rates by oral and pharyngeal cancer for men were independently assessed for neighbourhoods of Barcelona, Spain, and São Paulo, Brazil, from 1995 to 2003. Uniform methodological criteria instructed the comparative assessment of magnitude, trends and spatial distribution of mortality. General linear models assessed ecologic correlations between death rates and socioeconomic indices (unemployment, schooling levels and the human development index) at the inner-city area level. Results obtained for each city were subsequently compared.

Results

Mortality of men by oral and pharyngeal cancer ranked higher in Barcelona (9.45 yearly deaths per 100,000 male inhabitants) than in Spain and Europe as a whole; rates were on decrease. São Paulo presented a poorer profile, with higher magnitude (11.86) and stationary trend. The appraisal of ecologic correlations indicated an unequal and inequitably distributed burden of disease in both cities, with poorer areas tending to present higher mortality. Barcelona had a larger gradient of mortality than São Paulo, indicating a higher inequality of cancer deaths across its neighbourhoods.

Conclusion

The quantitative monitoring of inequalities in health may contribute to the formulation of redistributive policies aimed at the concurrent promotion of wellbeing and social justice. The assessment of groups experiencing a higher burden of disease can instruct health services to provide additional resources for expanding preventive actions and facilities aimed at early diagnosis, standardized treatments and rehabilitation.

Educational differences in cancer mortality among women and men: a gender pattern that differs across Europe

We used longitudinal mortality data sets for the 1990s to compare socioeconomic inequalities in total cancer mortality between women and men aged 30–74 in 12 different European populations (Madrid, Basque region, Barcelona, Slovenia, Turin, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland) and to investigate which cancer sites explain the differences found. We measured socioeconomic status using educational level and computed relative indices of inequality (RII). We observed large variations within Europe for educational differences in total cancer mortality among men and women. Three patterns were observed: Denmark, Norway and Sweden (significant RII around 1.3–1.4 among both men and women); France, Switzerland, Belgium and Finland (significant RII around 1.7–1.8 among men and around 1.2 among women); Spanish populations, Slovenia and Turin (significant RII from 1.29 to 1.88 among men; no differences among women except in the Basque region, where RII is significantly lower than 1). Lung, upper aerodigestive tract and breast cancers explained most of the variations between gender and populations in the magnitude of inequalities in total cancer mortality. Given time trends in cancer mortality, the gap in the magnitude of socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality between gender and between European populations will probably decrease in the future.

Socioeconomic inequalities in alcohol related cancer mortality among men: to what extent do they differ between Western European populations?

We aim to study socioeconomic inequalities in alcohol related cancers mortality [upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) (oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus and liver)] in men and to investigate whether the contribution of these cancers to socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality differs within Western Europe. We used longitudinal mortality datasets, including causes of death. Data were collected during the 1990s among men aged 30-74 years in 13 European populations [Madrid, the Basque region, Barcelona, Turin, Switzerland (German and Latin part), France, Belgium (Walloon and Flemish part, Brussels), Norway, Sweden, Finland]. Socioeconomic status was measured using the educational level declared at the census at the beginning of the follow-up period. We conducted Poisson regression analyses and used both relative [Relative index of inequality (RII)] and absolute (mortality rates difference) measures of inequality. For UADT cancers, the RII's were above 3.5 in France, Switzerland (both parts) and Turin whereas for liver cancer they were the highest (around 2.5) in Madrid, France and Turin. The contribution of alcohol related cancer to socioeconomic inequalities in cancer mortality was 29-36% in France and the Spanish populations, 17-23% in Switzerland and Turin, and 5-15% in Belgium and the Nordic countries. We did not observe any correlation between mortality rates differences for lung and UADT cancers, confirming that the pattern found for UADT cancers is not only due to smoking. This study suggests that alcohol use substantially influences socioeconomic inequalities in male cancer mortality in France, Spain and Switzerland but not in the Nordic countries and nor in Belgium.

Life-course approaches to inequalities in adult chronic disease risk

A life-course approach to chronic-disease epidemiology uses a multidisciplinary framework to understand the importance of time and timing in associations between exposures and outcomes at the individual and population levels. Such an approach to chronic diseases is enriched by specification of the particular manner in which timing in relation to physical growth, reproduction, infection, social mobility, behavioural transitions etc. can influence various adult chronic diseases in different ways, and more ambitiously by how these temporal processes are interconnected and manifested in health inequalities within a population and in population-level disease trends. The paper will discuss some historical background to life-course epidemiology and theoretical models of life-course processes, and will review some of the empirical evidence linking life-course processes to CHD, haemorrhagic stroke, stomach cancer and other chronic diseases in adulthood. It will also underscore that a life-course approach offers a way to conceptualize how underlying socio-environmental determinants of health, experienced at different life-course stages, can differentially influence the development of chronic diseases, as mediated through proximal specific biological processes.

The reversed social gradient: higher breast cancer mortality in the higher educated compared to lower educated. A comparison of 11 European populations during the 1990s

Higher socioeconomic position has been reported to be associated with increased risk of breast cancer mortality. Our aim was to see if this is consistently observed within 11 European populations in the 1990s. Longitudinal data on breast cancer mortality by educational level and marital status were obtained for Finland, Norway, Denmark, England and Wales, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria, Turin, Barcelona and Madrid. The relationship between breast cancer mortality and education was summarised by means of the relative index of inequality. A positive association was found in all populations, except for Finland, France and Barcelona. Overall, women with a higher educational level had approximately 15% greater risk of dying from breast cancer than those with lower education. This was observed both among never- and ever-married women. The greater risk of breast cancer mortality among women with a higher level of education was a persistent and generalised phenomenon in Europe in the 1990s.

Social inequalities and cancer mortality in France, 1975-1990

OBJECTIVE

to investigate social inequalities in cancer mortality from 1975 through 1990 among men and women in France.

METHODS

A sample, that included census data for approximately 1% of the French population, has been followed for mortality from 1975 to 1990. Causes of death were obtained through a record-linkage with the French national cause-of-death file. The analysis was restricted to those aged 35:59 in 1975 and included 61,876 men and 65,291 women. Occupational class, coded according to the social class scheme of Erikson, Goldthorpe and Portecarero in 7 categories, and educational level (in 4 categories) in 1975 have been studied. The analysis has been conducted for 15 cancer sites among men and 13 among women. Analysis used a Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

For educational level, inequalities among men were more pronounced for cancers of the pharynx Relative Risk (RR) lowest versus highest educational level=9.2, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 2.9-29.1, larynx (RR=6.2, CI=3.0:12.6), oral cavity (RR=2.7, CI=1.3-5.3), lung (RR=3.5, CI=2.5-4.8), esophagus (RR=3.1, CI=1.9-5.2), stomach (RR=2.5, CI=1.2-5.3) and rectum (RR=3.4, CI=1.2-9.6). No association between educational level and cancer mortality was observed for cancers of either the colon or lymphatic and hematopoietic tissue. Social inequalities were less pronounced among women but nevertheless observed for cancer of the uterus (RR=1.9, CI=1.0-3.6), stomach (RR=4.1, CI=1.0-17.1) and lung (RR=1.6, CI=0.7-3.7). No associations were found for mortality from breast or ovarian cancers. Results were similar when socioeconomic status was measured by occupational class.

CONCLUSION

The analysis showed substantial inequalities in cancer mortality in France, with large differences according to cancer site.

Inequalities in lung cancer mortality by the educational level in 10 European populations

Previous studies have shown that due to differences in the progression of the smoking epidemic European countries differ in the direction and size of socioeconomic variations in smoking prevalence. We studied differences in the direction and size of inequalities in lung cancer mortality by the educational level of subjects in 10 European populations during the 1990's. We obtained longitudinal mortality data by cause of death, age, sex and educational level for 4 Northern European populations (England/Wales, Norway, Denmark, Finland), 3 continental European populations (Belgium, Switzerland, Austria), and 3 Southern European populations (Barcelona, Madrid, Turin). Age- and sex-specific mortality rates by educational level were calculated, as well as the age- and sex-specific mortality rate ratios. Patterns of educational inequalities in lung cancer mortality suggest that England/Wales, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Belgium are the farthest advanced in terms of the progression of the smoking epidemic: these populations have consistently higher lung cancer mortality rates among the less educated in all age-groups in men, including the oldest men, and in all age-groups in women up to those aged 60-69 years. Madrid appears to be less advanced, with less educated men in the oldest age-group and less educated women in all age-groups still benefiting from lower lung cancer mortality rates. Switzerland, Austria, Turin and Barcelona occupy intermediate positions. The lung cancer mortality data suggest that inequalities in smoking contribute substantially to the educational differences in total mortality among men in all populations, except Madrid. Among women, these contributions are probably substantial in the Northern European countries and in Belgium, but only small in Switzerland, Austria, Turin and Barcelona, and negative in Madrid. In many European countries, policies and interventions that reduce smoking in less educated groups should be one of the main priorities to tackle socioeconomic inequalities in mortality. In some countries, particularly in Southern Europe, it may not be too late to prevent women in less educated groups from taking up the smoking habit, thereby avoiding large inequalities in mortality in the future in these countries.

Social inequalities in mortality in a retrospective cohort of civil servants in Barcelona

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study is to describe the inequalities in mortality by occupational category and sex in a retrospective cohort of civil servants working in the city council of Barcelona (Spain).

METHODS

The cohort was followed for the period 1984-1993. There were 11 647 men and 9001 women. Age-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of death for occupational categories and manual versus non-manual groups and 95% CI were derived from Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS

For total deaths in males, compared with high-level professionals, auxiliary workers (HR = 1.30, 95% CI: 0.96-1.77), skilled manual workers (HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 0.95-1.77), unskilled manual workers (HR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.07-1.98) and police and fire manual workers (HR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.08-1.87) had higher risk of death. Among women, for all causes of mortality, only police manual workers had higher mortality (HR = 5.63, 95% CI: 1.89-16.7) whereas auxiliary workers had the lowest HR (HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.25-1.05). The HR comparing manual and non-manual categories for all causes of death was 1.29 for males (95% CI: 1.09-1.52) and 1.07 for females (95% CI: 0.77-1.49). Among males, whereas manual workers had lower cardiovascular mortality (HR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.63-1.15), cancer mortality was higher in the manual category. No association between manual category and mortality was found among women.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides an analysis of social inequalities in mortality in a cohort from a Southern European urban area.

[Socioeconomic circumstances and premature mortality from chronic diseases]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to investigate the association between socioeconomic factors in childhood or adolescence and adulthood and premature mortality from various causes of death.

SUBJECTS AND METHOD

Men and women aged 25-74 years residing on May 1, 1996, in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. For the next 19 months, information on individuals who died and the cause of death were obtained from the Mortality Register. We estimated the mortality from 5 types of cancer and from 4 chronic diseases by the educational level--as an indicator of the socioeconomic circumstances in childhood or adolescence--and by income--as an indicator of the socioeconomic circumstances in adulthood.

RESULTS

When both variables were included in the analysis simultaneously, the relative mortality ratio for men with second grade first phase and lower educational level versus those with second grade, second phase and higher educational level and the relative mortality ratio for men belonging to income quartiles 3 and 4 (lowest) versus those belonging to quartiles 1 and 2 were, respectively: 1.15 (95% confidence interval 1.01-1.31) and 1.22 (1.09-1.36) for lung cancer; 1.46 (1.19-1,93) and 1.13 (0.90-1.41) for gastric cancer; 1.80 (1.32-2.44) and 1.46 (1.18-1.80) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and 1.18 (0.77-1.81) and 0.68 (0.47-0.98) for diabetes mellitus. For women the relative mortality ratios were, respectively: 0.63 (0.43-0.92) and 0.72 (0.52-0.99) for lung cancer; 1.68 (0.99-2.83) and 1.17 (0.86-1.60) for gastric cancer; 0.76 (0.61-0.94) and 0.98 (0.82-1.16) for breast cancer; 1.36 (0.95-1.95) and 1.20 (0.97-1.48) for ischemic heart disease; 1.72 (1.19-2.50) and 0.93 (0.75-1.16) for stroke; and 2.23 (0.94-5.27) and 1.51 (1.02-2.25) for diabetes mellitus.

CONCLUSIONS

Premature mortality in adulthood is associated with several socioeconomic factors acting across the whole course of life. The contribution of these socioeconomic circumstances to mortality varies regarding the cause of death and gender.

Role of individual and contextual effects in injury mortality: new evidence from small area analysis

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the role of individual and contextual variables in injury mortality inequalities from a small area analysis perspective, looking at the data for the city of Barcelona (Spain) for 1992-98.

SETTING

Barcelona (Spain).

METHODS

All injury deaths in residents older than 19, which occurred in the period 1992-98 were included (n=4393). Age and sex specific mortality rates were calculated for each educational level and each cause of death (traffic injuries, falls, drug overdose, suicide, other injuries). The contextual variables included were the proportion of men unemployed, and the proportion of men in jail, in each neighbourhood. Multilevel Poisson regression models were fitted using data grouped by age, educational level, and neighbourhood for each sex.

RESULTS

Death rates were higher in males, at the extremes of the age distribution (under 44 and over 74 years), and for lower educational levels. The results of the Poisson multilevel models indicate that inequalities by educational level follow a gradient, with higher risks for the population with no schooling, after having adjusted for the contextual variables of the neighbourhood. Such inequalities were more important in the youngest age group (20-34 years), as relative risk of 5.41 (95% confidence interval (CI) 3.9 to 7.4) for all injury causes in males and 4.38 (95% CI 2.3 to 8.4) in females. The highest relative risks were found for drug overdose. There was a contextual neighbourhood effect (the higher the deprivation, the higher the mortality) after having taken into account individual variables.

CONCLUSION

The findings underscore the need to implement injury prevention strategies not only at the individual level taking into account socioeconomic position, but also at the neighbourhood level.

Symptom-to-diagnosis interval and survival in cancers of the digestive tract

The objective was to identify the main correlates of the symptom-to-diagnosis interval (SDI) and to analyze their influence upon the survival in patients with cancers of the digestive tract. Two hundred forty-eight symptomatic patients with cancer of the esophagus (N = 31), stomach (N = 70), colon (N = 84), and rectum (N = 66) were interviewed and prospectively followed (median follow-up of 77 months). Cox's regression was used to assess the relative risk (RR) of death according to SDI. The median SDI was about 4 months, with nonsignificant differences by sex, age, social class, family history of cancer, or tumor site. The RR of death varied significantly by age (P = 0.012), tumor site (P < 0.01), tumor stage (P < 0.01), and type of hospital admission (P < 0.01). After adjustment for known and potential predictors of survival and as compared to an SDI < 2.5 months, the RR of death was 0.89 (95% CI: 0.61-1.32) for an SDI of 2.5-6 months, 0.78 (95% CI: 0.49-1.26) for SDI > 6-12 months, and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.44-1.49) for SDI > 12 months. These results do not imply that specific actions to hasten diagnosis must of necessity be ineffective, but underscore what a challenging task the secondary prevention of cancer remains.

Urban cause-specific socioeconomic mortality differences. Which causes of death contribute most?

BACKGROUND

Cause-specific information on socioeconomic differences in health is necessary for a rational public health policy. At the local level, the Municipal Health Service studies these differences in order to support the authorities in policy making.

METHODS

Mortality data of the under 65 age group in The Hague were analysed (1982-1991) at residential area level.

RESULTS

Causes of death with a high socioeconomic gradient among males were: homicide, chronic liver disease, 'other' external causes of injury, diabetes, bronchitis, emphysema and asthma, and motor vehicle accidents; and among females: diabetes, ischaemic heart disease, 'other' diseases of the circulatory system, signs, symptoms and ill-defined conditions, malignant neoplasm of cervix, and 'other' diseases. Main contributors to the mortality differences between the highest and lowest socioeconomic quartiles among males were: ischaemic heart disease (17.3%), 'other' diseases of the circulatory system (10.2%), signs, symptoms and ill-defined conditions (9.0%), 'other' external causes of injury (8.6%), and chronic liver disease (7.2%); and among females: ischaemic heart disease (25.5%), 'other' diseases (20.1%), signs, symptoms and ill-defined conditions (18.6%), 'other' diseases of the circulatory system (11.0%), and diabetes (9.1%). Among females the contributions of malignant neoplasms of breast (-16.3%) and colon (-5.5%) and suicide (-4.3%) were negative.

CONCLUSIONS

The diseases that are the main contributors to urban socioeconomic mortality differences can be influenced by public health policy.

Changing socioeconomic correlates for cancers of the upper digestive tract

BACKGROUND

Cancers of the upper digestive tract have long been associated with low socio-economic levels. It has however been suggested that in recent times the social gradient for these cancers is leveling off.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data from three case-control studies on oral, pharyngeal and oesophageal cancer conducted in Northern Italy during the periods 1984-1992 and 1992-1997 were combined and re-analyzed. Cases were subjects admitted to the major teaching and general hospitals in the areas under study with incident, histologically confirmed cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx (n = 1126) and oesophagus (n = 714). Controls were subjects admitted to the same hospitals for a wide spectrum of acute, non-neoplastic conditions, not related to smoking or alcohol consumption (n = 4642).

RESULTS

In the 1980s a significant association was observed with low education and social class level. The multivariate odds ratios for oral, pharyngeal and oesophageal cancers combined was 1.78 for the lowest versus the highest educational level, and 1.75 for the lowest versus the highest social class. No consistent pattern of risk was observed with any of the socio-economic indicators considered in the studies conducted in the 1990s.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study indicates that the socio-economic correlates of cancers of the upper digestive tract have changed over the last few years in Italy, with a disappearance of the social gradient.