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Background
Keywords
Findings
Authors
What is known on this topic?
What does this study add?

Background

Compared with other Canadians, First Nations peoples experience a disproportionate burden of illness and disease.  Potential years of life lost (PYLL) before age 75 highlights the impact of youthful or early deaths.

Data and methods

The 1991 to 2001 Canadian census mortality follow-up study tracked a 15% sample of adults aged 25 or older over more than a decade.  This study examined mortality among people aged 25 to 74―55,600 Status Indians (39,200 on reserve and 16,500 off reserve) and 2,475,700 non-Aboriginal adults―all of whom were enumerated by the 1991 census long-form questionnaire.  Age-standardized PYLL rates were calculated, based on the number of person-years at risk before age 75.

Results

Status Indian adults had 2.5 times the risk of dying before age 75, compared with non-Aboriginal adults.  Results did not differ greatly by residence on or off reserve.  Relative and absolute inequalities were greatest for unintentional and intentional injuries.  Socio-economic factors such as income, education, housing and employment explained a substantial share of the disparities in premature death.

Interpretation

Status Indian adults had higher rates of premature mortality.  Socio-economic factors played an important role in those disparities.  Injuries were important contributors to both relative and absolute inequalities.

Keywords

Aboriginal, cause of death, death rate, First Nations, indigenous, life expectancy, longevity, mortality

Findings

Compared with other Canadians, First Nations peoples experience a disproportionate burden of illness and disease, which is reflected in shorter life expectancy.  For Status Indians, life expectancy at birth is 8 years less for men and 7 years less for women.  Life expectancy, however, tends to be dominated by deaths at older ages.  A complementary way of examining mortality is to focus on premature mortality, specifically, potential years of life lost (PYLL) before age 75.  PYLL sums the additional years people would have lived if they had had a full lifespan. [Full text]

Author

Michael Tjepkema (1-613-951-3896; michael.tjepkema@statcan.gc.ca) and Russell Wilkins (1-613-951-5305; russell.wilkins@statcan.gc.ca) are with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6.  Jennifer Pennock and Neil Goedhuis are with the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch at Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.

What is known on this topic?

  • The rate of potential years of life lost (PYLL) at ages 1 to 74 is higher for Status Indians than for non-Aboriginal people, with injury deaths the largest contributor to the disparity.
  • Premature loss of life is an indicator of the overall health and well-being of a population.
  • The effects of socio-economic factors on disparities in premature death are not usually studied.

What does this study add?

  • PYLL rates at ages 25 to 74 for Status Indians are typically at least twice those for non-Aboriginal people.
  • Both absolute and relative disparities are particularly elevated for injuries.
  • Socio-economic indicators such as income, education, housing and employment explain a substantial share of excess premature mortality among Status Indian adults.