Avoidable Mortality Differences between Rural and Urban Residents During 2004–2011: A Case Study in Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Health Promotion, School of Health, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran

3 Department of Health Promotion, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

4 Institute for Trade Studies and Research, Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, Tehran, Iran

5 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background
Avoidable mortality as an indicator for assessing the health system performance has caught the attention of researchers for a long time. In this study we aimed to compare the health system performance using this indicator in rural and urban areas of one of Iran’s southern provinces.
 
Methods
All deaths (29916) which happened during 2004–2011 in Bushehr province were assessed. Nolte and McKee’s avoidable deaths model was used to distinguish avoidable and unavoidable conditions. Accordingly, all deaths were classified into four categories including three avoidable death categories and one unavoidable death category. STATA software was used to conduct Poisson Regression Test and age-standardized death rate.
 
Results
Findings showed that avoidable mortality rates declined in both urban and rural areas at 3.33% per year, but decline rates were influenced by Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) and preventable death categories to treatable death category. Annual decline rate for IHD category in rural and urban areas was nearly the same as 8%, but in preventable death category, rural areas experienced more decreases than urban ones (7% vs 5% respectively). However, decline rate in treatable mortality neither in urban and nor in rural areas was statistically significant.
 
Conclusion
Despite the annual decline in the rate of avoidable deaths, policy making initiatives especially screening and inter-sectoral measures targeting cause of deaths such as colon and breast cancers, hypertension, lung cancer and traffic accidents, can still further decrease avoidable deaths in both areas.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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History

  • Receive Date: 01 September 2013
  • Revise Date: 15 November 2013
  • Accept Date: 26 October 2013
  • First Publish Date: 15 November 2013

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