Recent changes in Northern Ireland life expectancy
The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety today published a report on life expectancy statistics in Northern Ireland.
~ Thursday, 24 February 2011
The report “Health and Social Care Inequalities Monitoring System: Life Expectancy Decomposition – An overview of changes in Northern Ireland life expectancy 2001-03 to 2006-08”, is part of the Health and Social Care Inequalities Monitoring System (HSCIMS) and follows on from the HSCIMS report “Health and Social Care Inequalities Monitoring System – Changes in the life expectancy gap 1999/01 – 2004/06” which was published in October 2008. Despite increases in life expectancy across all areas, the differential (or gap) between life expectancy estimates for those living in the most deprived areas in Northern Ireland compared with the overall NI average has increased between 2001-03 and 2006-08. Similarly, the gap in life expectancy between those living in rural areas and NI as a whole has also increased over the period. This report details how trends in mortality by age and cause of death explain recent changes in life expectancy and life expectancy gaps.
Both this report and the Health and Social Care Inequalities Monitoring System reports are published on the DHSSPS website.
Key points –
The key findings presented in the report are outlined below.
Methodology
Life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a person can expect to live should current mortality patterns stay constant. This report details how trends in mortality by age and cause of death explain recent changes in life expectancy. The results are also examined in the context of changes in the recording, measuring and classification of demographic data over recent years.
Life expectancy in Northern Ireland
In 2006-08 male life expectancy reached 76.4 years which represented a 0.8 year increase from 2001-03. Female life expectancy also increased by 0.8 years to reach 81.3 years in 2006-08. These improvements were driven mainly by falling mortality due to circulatory disease amongst those aged 60 years or more.
Life expectancy in deprived areas
Improvements in life expectancy in the 20% most deprived areas were markedly less than those seen across Northern Ireland as a whole. Male life expectancy in deprived areas was 71.8 years in 2006-08 which represented a 0.2 years increase from 2001-03. Female life expectancy increased by half a year to reach 78.4 years in 2006-08. Mirroring the Northern Ireland picture, these increases were driven by falling mortality in those aged over 60 from circulatory disease. The improvement was however largely offset by higher mortality rates among 15-59 year old males.
The deprivation gap
As life expectancy in the most deprived areas did not improve to the same extent as in the wider region, the life expectancy deprivation gap widened over the period. The male deprivation gap increased from 4.1 to 4.6 years and the female gap increased from 2.6 to 2.9 years between 2001-03 and 2006-08. For both genders, relatively higher mortality rates for cancer and circulatory disease in the most deprived areas compared with NI generally were the main contributors to the deprivation gaps in 2006-08.
Life expectancy in rural areas
Male life expectancy in rural areas was 77.7 years in 2006-08, which represented an increase of 1.1 years since 2001-03. Female life expectancy in rural areas also increased by 1.1 years to reach 82.6 years in 2006-08. These increases can be almost exclusively explained by improved mortality due to circulatory disease among the over 60 year olds for both genders.
The rural life expectancy gap
Rural areas have in general higher life expectancy than Northern Ireland overall and the life expectancy gap widened between 2001-03 and 2006-08, from 1.0 to 1.3 years for males and 1.1 to 1.4 years for females. In 2006-08, the female rural gap was mainly caused by relatively lower mortality rates among the over 60 year olds in rural areas for a range of causes of death. Lower mortality rates for lung cancer and respiratory disease across a number of age groups in rural areas were the main contributors to the male gap.
Life expectancy in HSC Trusts
In 2006-08, the highest expectancy of life among the five HSC Trusts occurred in the South Eastern Trust for both genders. The higher life expectancy in the South Eastern Trust was due to lower than average mortality rates for cancer and circulatory disease. Conversely, the Belfast Trust had the lowest life expectancy for both males and females. In general, the Trust’s lower life expectancy was due to higher mortality rates for cancer, circulatory disease and digestive disease for both genders relative to the Northern Ireland average.
Additional mortality definitions
The effect upon life expectancy of additional broader mortality definitions Definitions are set out in the report. were examined for Northern Ireland overall and its most deprived areas (definitions are set out in the report).
Amenable mortality
Amenable mortality is defined as deaths that could have been avoided by good healthcare. A reduction in amenable mortality between 2001-03 and 2006-08 contributedto improving life expectancy in both the most deprived areas and the wider region by around half a year for both genders. However, amenable mortality remained higher in deprived areas than in Northern Ireland overall and accounted for about one-fifth of both the male and female deprivation gaps in 2006-08 (0.9 years and 0.6 years respectively).
Smoking related mortalities
A reduction in smoking related deaths improved life expectancy in Northern Ireland as a whole as well as in the most deprived areas. Smoking related mortality however remained higher in deprived areas than in Northern Ireland generally and contributed around a third of the female deprivation gap (0.9 years) and a quarter of the male deprivation gap (1.2 years).
Alcohol related mortality
Alcohol related deaths had relatively little impact on the overall change in life expectancy for both males and females in Northern Ireland and its most deprived areas between 2001-03 and 2006-08. Relatively higher alcohol related mortality in the most deprived areas than regionally did however contribute 0.6 years to the male deprivation gap and 0.2 years to the female gap in 2006-08.
Notes to editors:
1. The Health and Social Care Inequalities Monitoring System (HSCIMS) comprises a basket of indicators (including life expectancy) which are monitored over time to assess area differences in mortality, morbidity, utilisation of and access to health and social care services in Northern Ireland. Inequalities between the 20% most deprived areas and Northern Ireland as a whole are measured. Results for rural areas are also compared against Northern Ireland overall. The HSCIMS has expanded over recent years to encompass additional analyses to inform on the health inequalities that exist within Northern Ireland as a whole and its sub regional areas. This report follows on from the “Health and Social Care Inequalities Monitoring System – Changes in the life expectancy gap 1999/01 – 2004/06” which was published in October 2008.
2. Both the HSCIMS and this report define deprived areas as the 20% most deprived Super Output Areas according to the multiple deprivation measure (published by NISRA in 2005). Similarly, both the HSCIMS and this report use the same definition of rural areas as outlined in the “Report of the Inter-Departmental Urban-Rural Definition Group” (NISRA 2005).
3. All analyses and calculations are based on official deaths data sourced from the General Register Office and population data published by NISRA. The methodology used to calculate life expectancy is consistent with that used in the HSCIMS bulletins.
4. Further information on the Health and Social Care inequalities Monitoring System is available from:
Project Support Analysis Branch
Information Analysis Directorate
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Annexe 2, Castle Buildings
Stormont Estate, Belfast, BT4 3SQ
Tel: 028 9052 2591
Fax: 028 9052 3288
5. Media enquiries to the DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 2841. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Office via pager number on 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.
Connect with US
