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Mortality of Métis and Registered Indian adults in Canada: An 11-year follow-up study
Publication: Health Reports 2009:20(4) www.statcan.gc.ca/healthreports
Authors: Michael Tjepkema, Russell Wilkins, Sacha Senécal, Éric Guimond and Christopher Penney
Data: 1991 to 2001 Canadian census mortality follow-up study
Métis and Registered Indian adults (aged 25 or older) had higher mortality rates, shorter life expectancy and lower probability of survival to age 75, compared with non-Aboriginal adults. For both Aboriginal groups, mortality rate ratios were highest at younger ages.
For the first time, comprehensive mortality patterns for Métis adults (defined by responses to the census question on ancestry) can be calculated using a new linked database.
Shorter life expectancy among Métis and Registered Indian adults
At age 25, a Métis man could expect to live an additional 49.5 years. This was 3.3 years shorter than the 52.8 years for non-Aboriginal men in the study cohort.
While Métis women had longer remaining life expectancy than Métis men, the gap between Métis women and non-Aboriginal women was wider. A 25-year old Métis woman could expect to live an additional 53.7 years, 5.5 years less than the 59.2 years for non-Aboriginal women.
Life expectancy for Registered Indian men and women was 4.4 and 6.3 years shorter, respectively. (Registered Indians are First Nations people who have registered Indian status under the Indian Act.)
Lower probability of survival
About 57% of Métis men were expected to survive to at least age 75 (conditional on survival to age 25), compared with 64% of non-Aboriginal men, a 7-percentage-point difference. For Métis women, the corresponding figures were 63% and 79%, a 16-percentage-point difference.
The estimates for survival to age 75 were lower for Registered Indians. About 51% of Registered Indian men were expected to survive to age 75, compared with 64% of non-Aboriginal men, a difference of 13 percentage points. For Registered Indian women, the corresponding figures were 62% and 79%, an 18-point difference.
External causes largest contributor to excess mortality among Métis men
About 40% of the excess mortality between Métis and non-Aboriginal men was due to external causes such as motor vehicle accidents, drowning and suicide. An additional 26% of the excess mortality was due to circulatory system diseases (such as ischemic heart disease), followed by respiratory and digestive system diseases.
For Métis women, circulatory system disease deaths accounted for 29% of the excess mortality, followed by cancer, digestive system diseases and respiratory system diseases.
For Registered Indians men, external causes were the largest contributor to excess mortality. For Registered Indian women, circulatory system diseases were the largest contributor.
Socio-economic indicators explain large proportion of disparity
Compared with non-Aboriginal adults, Métis and Registered Indians had lower levels of educational attainment and were more likely to be unemployed and to be in the lowest income quintile. These socio-economic factors explained roughly two-thirds of the excess mortality for Métis and Registered Indian men, and nearly 30% of that for women.
For more information, contact Michael Tjepkema (1-416-952-4620; Michael.Tjepkema@statcan.gc.ca), Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada.
