Social inequality in premature mortality among polish urban adults during economic transition

Abstract

Rates of premature mortality among adults are important measures of the economic and psychosocial well-being of human populations. In many countries, such rates are, as a rule, inversely related to the level of attained education. We examined changes in educational group-specific mortality rates among urban adults in Poland during the country's rapid transition in the 1990s from a socialist command economy to a free market system. Two census-based analyses of individual death records of urban dwellers aged 35-64 years were compared. We utilized all records of death, which occurred during the 2-year periods 1988-89 and 2001-02. Population denominators were taken from the censuses of 1988 and 2002. The age-specific mortality rates were used to evaluate absolute differences in mortality. To assess relative differences between educational levels, mortality rate ratios (MRRs) with 95% CI (confidence interval) were calculated using Poisson regression. A regular educational gradient in mortality persisted in each 10-year age group throughout the period covered by our data. Moreover, age-specific mortality rates declined steadily in all educational groups, and this decline was most marked in the two oldest age groups (45-54 and 55-64 years). The trend was accompanied by widening of educational differences in mortality as expressed by MRRs. Systemic political transformation in Poland has brought a mixture of beneficial and detrimental effects on the well-being of society. With regard to the changes in rates of premature mortality among adults, the benefits have prevailed, although individuals with the lowest educational level benefited less than those with the highest education.

Secular trends in body height and body mass in 19‐year‐old polish men based on six national surveys from 1965 to 2010

“…Certainly further studies are necessary to establish the consistency of this tendency. The profound biological effects of that period can be seen in the increase of mortality and decrease in life expectancy in 1991 (Kołodziej et al, 2007). However, the later stages of life for this cohort, and especially the period during which the growth spurt occurred, coincided with a period of accelerated economic development brought on by economic reforms and Poland joining the European Union.…”

Allostatic Load and Socioeconomic Status in Polish Adult Men

“…Morbidity and mortality, in general, increase with lower SES, whereas life expectancy and better health status are positively associated with higher SES (Adler et al, 1994;Rognerud & Zahl, 2006;Kołodziej et al, 2007). Morbidity and mortality, in general, increase with lower SES, whereas life expectancy and better health status are positively associated with higher SES (Adler et al, 1994;Rognerud & Zahl, 2006;Kołodziej et al, 2007).…”

“…Socioeconomic status (SES) has significance for the health and mortality of individuals and groups. Morbidity and mortality, in general, increase with lower SES, whereas life expectancy and better health status are positively associated with higher SES (Adler et al, 1994;Rognerud & Zahl, 2006;Kołodziej et al, 2007). Explanations for the social inequalities in health, morbidity and mortality often focus on access to, and quality of, health care, environmental exposure (e.g.…”

Sexual dimorphism in socioeconomic differences regarding the risk factors, symptomatology and management of patients with stable coronary artery disease in Poland

“…In contrast to these data, we found a straight relationship between SES and smoking in women -smoking rate is the highest in HEG group. This difference may be a result of changes seen in Eastern European societies since early 1990s, where apart from transient increase in premature mortality of working-age men (mainly due to CAD) and changes in drinking habits, the increase in tobacco consumption in women was observed [23,24].…”