Regional mortality disparities in Germany: long-term dynamics and possible determinants

Abstract

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Regional Differences in the Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease

“…Death from cardiovascular disease has also been reported to show interregional differences with a decreasing trend from northeast to southwest; these differences persist despite the continuing harmonization of circumstances between east (former GDR) and west (old FRG) (9,10,12,25,26). Our analysis broadly shows an east-west difference with regard to mortality: raw death rates for the major cardiovascular diseases we studied lay between 324.2 and 413.0 per 100 000 inhabitants in the ex-GDR states but were lower, at 208.5 to 333.0 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants, in the states of the old FRG.…”

La pénalité urbaine en matière d’espérance de vie pendant la transition sanitaire au Danemark, 1850-1910

“…Besides their role as birth attendants, midwives were generally active promoters of healthy practices, such as adequate breastfeeding and better childcare and hygiene. Differences in breastfeeding practices have been found to play a key role in striking disparities in infant mortality between certain historical populations (Knodel and Kintner, 1977;Kibele et al, 2015). In 19th-century Denmark, infants were generally breastfed-there were no regions 'where the ideal was not to breastfeed at all'-but breastfeeding was not optimally practised in all regions (Løkke, 2002, p. 137).…”

Avoidable Mortality in the German Baltic Sea Region Since Reunification: Convergence or Persistent Disparities?

“…Twenty-eight years after reunification, the average life expectancy is still lower in the eastern part of the country, at least among men. However, this east-west gap is partly a result of a north-south divide: life expectancy is highest in the south of Germany, which was part of West Germany, politically (Kibele 2012;Kibele et al 2015;DESTATIS 2016).…”