Premature mortality data points to problems in structurally disadvantaged regions

People in the Czech Republic die prematurely mainly in the Ústí nad Labem, Karlovy Vary and Moravia-Silesia regions. The main causes are cancer and diseases of the circulatory system. This is based on data published on the map portal focused on the issue of premature mortality, which was created thanks to the SYRI project and developed by a team of researchers from the Faculty of Science of Charles University.

“The main issues today are the ageing population and the increasing number of age-related chronic diseases. But this is certainly not the only crucial issue in terms of population development. We also need to understand why people die prematurely,”  explains Klára Hulíková Tesárková from the SYRI National Institute, one of the authors of the results.

Premature death is most often defined by experts as a death that could theoretically have been prevented with appropriate prevention and/or early treatment. Death before a certain age, usually 65, is often considered premature. “It is a positive fact that the proportion of deaths under this age is visibly decreasing over time, but it still reaches an average of around 21% for men and almost 11% for women, and in some localities we find values approaching 30% for men,” Hulíková Tesárková points out.

The new methodology for analysing, reporting and comparing the rate of premature mortality, which has already been certified by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, recommends monitoring not only data on the intensity of mortality, but also on the age structure of the deceased. For this purpose, indicators based on the estimation of years of life lost can be used. In this approach, demographers assign weights to each death that reflect the age at which the death occurred, or the potential life expectancy lost by the death. The standardised measure of years of life lost (usually expressed per 1000 inhabitants) is a comprehensive indicator of premature mortality that can also be used to map the regional differentiation of this phenomenon. The values of this indicator again show a less favourable situation in the northwest of Bohemia and in the Moravian-Silesian Region, while the best situation is in Prague and its surroundings, in parts of Vysočina and in southern Moravia.

“The reasons for premature mortality include individual and external factors. Examples of individual factors, which everyone can influence to a greater or lesser extent, include lifestyle, use of preventive care and high-risk behaviour. External factors or systemic risks include the availability of health care or the quality of the environment,” adds co-author Dagmar Dzúrová.

A unique perspective on the topic of premature mortality is offered by map applications dedicated to selected causes of death. In particular, the spatial detail of the administrative districts of municipalities with extended competence shows the differences in terms of external causes of death, cancer (neoplasms) and diseases of the circulatory system.

Indeed, external causes of death are a significant cause of premature mortality, as they often occur at a young age. “In the case of external causes of death, a significantly higher male premature mortality rate was confirmed, which is roughly three times higher than in women," says Hulíková Tesárková.

Regional differences are more pronounced in terms of cancer and diseases of the circulatory system. Men most often die prematurely from cancer in Northwest Bohemia and the Moravian-Silesian Region, while for women the unflattering leader is Northwest Bohemia. On the contrary, the minima for both sexes can be found in the Hradec Králové, Pardubice and Vysočina regions. As for diseases of the circulatory system, the premature mortality rate for women is higher in both Northwest Bohemia and the Moravian-Silesian Region, while for men it is higher mainly in Northwest Bohemia and selected areas of the Moravian-Silesian Region (Orlová). The minima are reached mainly in the southern part of the country and in Prague and its surroundings.

Both the certified methodology with an overview of basic indicators and the extremely detailed map portal on premature mortality provide a wealth of additional data. “At a time of rapid population ageing and rising burden on the economically active component of the population, monitoring these indicators is very important, as reducing premature mortality can be one component in helping to stabilise and sustain the social systems of ageing populations. The data confirms significant regional inequalities, which are due to a whole complex of causes that should be addressed in public policies,” adds Pavlína Netrdová, co-author of the map portal.