Changes in life expectancy due to avoidable and non-avoidable deaths in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico, 2000-2011

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the level and trend of avoidable deaths and non-avoidable deaths and their contribution to the change in life expectancy in Latin America by studying the situations in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico between the years 2000 and 2011, stratified by sex and 5-year age groups. The information source used in this study was the mortality vital statistics, and the population data were obtained from censuses or estimates. The proposal by Nolte & McKee (2012) was used to calculate the standardized mortality rates and the influence from avoidable and non-avoidable causes in the change in life expectancy between 0 and 74 years. In Argentina, Chile and Colombia, all the rates declined between the years 2000 and 2011, whereas in Mexico, the avoidable deaths and non-avoidable deaths rates increased slightly for men and decreased for women. In all the countries, the non-avoidable death rates were higher than the avoidable death rates, and the rates were higher for men. The largest contributions to changes in life expectancy were explained by the non-avoidable deaths for men in all countries and for women in Argentina; in contrast, in Chile, Colombia and Mexico, the gains in years of life expectancy for women were mainly a result of avoidable causes. The results suggest there have been reductions in mortality from these causes that have resulted in gains in years of life expectancy in the region. Despite these achievements, differences between countries, sex and age groups are still present, without any noticeable progress in the reduction of these inequalities until now.

The Contribution of Avoidable Mortality to the Life Expectancy Gains in Korea between 1998 and 2017

“…Avoidable deaths, an indicator of the quality of medical care and prevention interventions [ 6 ], contributed to a 4.010 year (51.9%) increase in life expectancy over 20 years in Korea. Although direct comparison with other studies is difficult, due to different study periods and different lists of avoidable deaths, the contribution of 51.9% seems to be greater than in other countries [ 12 , 13 ]. The major factor that underlay the changes in amenable causes was cerebrovascular disease in both men and women, which contributed to 0.999 years gain in life expectancy for men and 0.957 years for women.…”

“…The contribution of avoidable mortality in life expectancy changes should be evaluated to assess the performance of the public health system. In Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, non-avoidable mortality contributed to life expectancy gains greater than avoidable mortality between 2000–2011 [ 12 ]. This was true in Spain from 1987 to 2001 [ 13 ].…”

The adult mortality profile by cause of death in 10 Latin American countries (2000–2016)

“…Another striking feature of the mortality pattern in Latin America, especially in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico, has been the increasing number of deaths from violence and accidents since the 1980s. These levels are still high in many countries, and there is a concentration of these deaths among young adult males (3,11,(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18). Frenk et al (18) argue that the mortality from these causes in Latin American countries is independent of the epidemiological transition and is strongly associated with political instability, economic inequality, social segregation, and drug trafficking.…”

Healthcare for older people in Central and South America

“…Diabetes mellitus, age-related and other hearing loss, and lower back pain were responsible for most disability [ 8 ]. Evidence indicates that most of the causes of mortality that are decreasing life expectancy in LAC are potentially avoidable [ 9 ].…”