Changes in cause-specific mortality among the elderly in Canada, 1979–2011
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.25336/P69W3WMots-clés :
causes of death, life expectancy, age patterns of mortality, Canada, decompositionRésumé
The structure of causes of death in Canada has been changing since the onset of the “cardiovascular revolution.” While mortality due to cardiovascular diseases has been declining, mortality due to other causes of death, such as cancers and Alzheimer’s disease has been increasing. Our research investigates how these changes have re-modeled life expectancy at age 65 and age 85, and what specific causes of death are involved. We distinguish between premature and senescent deaths in Canada, using a cause-specific age structure. Our results suggest that although a decline in premature deaths has contributed to increasing life expectancy in recent years, most of the gains in life expectancy at age 65 and 85 have resulted from a decline in senescent deaths. We also find a decline in mortality due to the main causes of death, leading to a greater diversification of causes.
Depuis le début de la révolution cardiovasculaire, le Canada a connu d’importants changements dans la distribution des décès selon la cause. La mortalité par maladies cardiovasculaires a connu une importante diminution alors que les taux de mortalité pour les cancers et pour la maladie d’Alzheimer ont augmenté. Cet article examine comment ces changements ont influencé les tendances de l’espérance de vie à 65 et à 85 ans et quelles causes de décès spécifiques furent impliquées. Une distinction entre les décès prématurés et les décès liés à un processus de sénescence est réalisée, se basant sur deux indicateurs de variations par âge des causes de décès. Nos résultats suggèrent que la majorité des gains en espérance de vie à 65 et 85 ans proviennent d’une plus faible mortalité par cause de décès sénescente. De plus, une diminution des principales causes de décès chez les personnes âgées de 65 ans et plus laisse place à une plus grande diversification de causes aux grands âges.
Téléchargements
Publié-e
Numéro
Rubrique
Licence
© Marie-Pier Bergeron-Boucher, Robert Bourbeau, Jacques Légaré 2019
Cette œuvre est sous licence Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
The following copyright statement applies to content published in Volumes 1 - 45 of Canadian Studies in Population.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).