No abstract

Working papers of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research receive only limited review. Views or opinions expressed in working papers are attributable to the authors and do not necessarily refl ect those of the Institute.

Background: Previous studies have shown long-term unfavourable changes in mortality in the Republic of Moldova accompanied by recent improvements. Little is known about the regional mortality differentiation which is an important tool for evidence-based public health policy. The aim of the study is to assess the current geographical disparities of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in Moldova and to identify evidence-based modalities to reduce them. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study is based on the corrected results of the 2014 census and individual death records for the 2012-2016 period provided by the National Agency for Public Health. Global Moran’s index and local indicators of spatial autocorrelation were computed based on contiguity matrix. Results: All-cause mortality gradient between the northern and central regions was found for males (Moran’s index=0.47, p<0.001) and females (Moran’s index=0.44, p<0.001). Digestive and cardiovascular diseases for both sexes and external causes of death for males had a statistically significant influence on the inter-regional mortality differentiation. Liver cirrhosis contributed the most to the geographical difference between the North and the Centre (Moran’s index=0.59, p<0.001), especially for females. Conclusions: The results of this study point to the existence of different drinking habits of the Moldovan population between the northern and central regions. The central regions that form the cluster of “high-high” mortality from liver cirrhosis should be considered as primarily targets for antialcohol policies

Most studies dedicated to alcohol-related mortality in the former USSR countries explore the situation primarily in Russia and Belarus, while somewhat less so in Ukraine. In these countries, the consumption of spirits is one of the main contributors to a huge decline in adult health since the mid-60s, especially among males. Moldova, also an ex-Soviet country, is quite different in that their drinking habits are much closer to those of the Mediterranean drinking culture, although they are still like Russia and Ukraine in that their level of alcohol consumption is among the highest in the world while life expectancy at birth is one of the lowest among developed countries. This study provides a descriptive analysis of the changes in alcohol-related mortality trends and drinking patterns in Moldova as compared to Ukraine and Russia, both during the Soviet period and after Independence. We found that accidental poisoning by alcohol in Moldova is of minor importance in contrast to Russia and Ukraine, whereas very high liver cirrhosis mortality without a traditional sex gap is a peculiar feature of the Moldovan mortality pattern. Furthermore, the burden of liver cirrhosis accounts for much lower Moldovan female life expectancy compared to their Russian or Ukrainian counterparts. We attempt to explain this phenomenon by hypothesizing the existence of harmful drinking habits of homemade wine consumption in Moldova, which seems to affect males and females equally. In Moldova, the anti-alcohol policies must include the measures aimed at reducing the consumption of homemade wine.

National authorities publish COVID-19 death counts, which are extensively re-circulated and compared; but data are generally poorly sourced and documented. Academics and stakeholders need tools to assess data quality and to track data-related discrepancies for comparability over time or across countries. “The Demography of COVID-19 Deaths” database aims at bridging this gap. It provides COVID-19 death counts along with associated documentation, which includes the exact data sources and points out issues of quality and coverage of the data. The database — launched in April 2020 and continuously updated — contains daily cumulative death counts attributable to COVID-19 broken down by sex and age, place and date of occurrence of the death. Data and metadata undergo quality control checks prior to online release. As of mid-December 2021, it covers 21 countries in Europe and beyond. It is open access at a bilingual (English and French) website with content intended for expert users and non-specialists (https://dc-covid.site.ined.fr/en/; figshare: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5807027). Data and metadata are available for each country separately and pooled over all countries.