Trends of Cause and Sex-Specific Mortality, and Its Impact on the Life Expectancy among Qatari Population

Abstract

Abstract-The study aimed to assess the changes in the cause and sex-specific mortality and the life expectancy in Qatar from 1996-2010. Method: the electronic database, from the tertiary healthcare providers at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), and vital health statistics from Supreme Council of Health in Qatar was utilized to assess the impact of cause and sex-specific mortality on life expectancy at birth. Correlation between life expectancy at birth to causes such as cardiovascular diseases (CVD), traffic accidents, malignant neoplasm, endocrine diseases and congenital abnormalities was measured, so as to compare the potential gains from the elimination of these causes. Result: in Qatar, considering the time period of 1996-2010, the gain in life expectancy at birth was 3.6 years for men and 2.3 years for women. Overall, all cause mortality rate was 176.7 per 100,000 during 1996-2010. The mortality related to circulatory system ranked first, with mean annual mortality rate of 38.7 per 100,000, followed by road traffic accidents (27.18). Among males, mean annual mortality due to traffic accidents and circulatory systems declined from 1996 to 2010. Among females, mean mortality rate due to neoplasm mildly increased from 20.0/100,000 in 1996 to 24.8/100,000 in 2010, and that due to prenatal conditions among females declined from 12.0/100,000 in 1996, to 6.9/100,000 in 2010. Among both males and females, the mean mortality for circulatory system declined during 1996 to 2010. Overall, except for road traffic accidents (r=-0.130, p=0.494), illdefined conditions (r=-0.235, p= 0.212), and endocrine disease (r=-0.135, p=0.476) all other leading causes of mortality showed significant negative correlation with life expectancy at birth. Conclusion: increases in life expectancy in Qatar were mostly achieved by reductions in all causes mortality, and especially from reductions in mortality from the circulatory and endocrine system diseases, and prenatal and congenital deaths. The present study provided useful information which can help the policy makers in more effective allocation of resources for public health programs in Qatar.