Avoidable mortality in Victoria between 1979 and 2001

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease hospitalisations and mortality in Victoria: analysis of variations by socioeconomic status

“…The present findings are consistent with the literature 1,3,7,17 . Gershon et al 1 found that individuals of the lowest SES were at least twice as likely to have poor COPD outcomes as those of the highest SES.…”

“…The proportion of the population that identified as Indigenous all had significant associations with the hospitalisation rates for asthma and COPD by area. In Victoria, between 1979 and 2001, total avoidable mortality rates (including from COPD) in the least disadvantaged quintile were significantly lower than those in the most disadvantaged quintile 7 . The mortality rates were highest in remote LGAs and lowest in highly accessible LGAs.…”

“…S ocioeconomic status (SES) is a key determinant of health outcomes, particularly for chronic diseases 1–8 . In a systematic review of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and SES, Gershon et al 1 found that individuals at the lowest socioeconomic strata were at least twice as likely to have poor outcomes as those of the highest, regardless of gender, age and population.…”

Black-white differences in avoidable mortality in the USA, 1980-2005

“…Here, mortality is analysed below age 65 because identifying a single underlying cause of death becomes increasingly difficult at older ages,2122 healthcare and policy/behaviour interventions are likely to be more effective at younger ages,182324 and at the beginning of the present study period (1980) black male life expectancy was only about 64 years 25. The present study thus presents a conservative estimate of AM in the US.…”

The role of a public health journal in securing the health of the public

“…Recent replication of this study in Victoria showed avoidable mortality rates declined by more than half between 1979 and 2001, largely as a result of decline in cardiovascular mortality. Sex, socio‐economic disadvantage and remote locality were sources of resistance to the decline 2 . It follows that substantial improvement in a nation's health requires good medical treatment, but this needs to go hand‐in‐hand with primary prevention programs such as reduction of smoking and better diet and exercise, together with secondary preventive services aimed at controlling high blood pressure and screening for cancer, specifically targeting disadvantaged population groups.…”