Estimation and probabilistic projection of age- and sex-specific mortality rates across Brazilian municipalities between 2010 and 2030.

BACKGROUND: Mortality rate estimation in small areas can be difficult due the low number of events/exposure (i.e. stochastic error). If the death records are not completed, it adds a systematic uncertainty on the mortality estimates. Previous studies in Brazil have combined demographic and statistical methods to partially overcome these issues. We estimated age- and sex-specific mortality rates for all 5,565 Brazilian municipalities in 2010 and forecasted probabilistic mortality rates and life expectancy between 2010 and 2030. METHODS: We used a combination of the Tool for Projecting Age-Specific Rates Using Linear Splines (TOPALS), Bayesian Model, Spatial Smoothing Model and an ad-hoc procedure to estimate age- and sex-specific mortality rates for all Brazilian municipalities for 2010. Then we adapted the Lee-Carter model to forecast mortality rates by age and sex in all municipalities between 2010 and 2030. RESULTS: The adjusted sex- and age-specific mortality rates for all Brazilian municipalities in 2010 reveal a distinct regional pattern, showcasing a decrease in life expectancy in less socioeconomically developed municipalities when compared to estimates without adjustments. The forecasted mortality rates indicate varying regional improvements, leading to a convergence in life expectancy at birth among small areas in Brazil. Consequently, a reduction in the variability of age at death across Brazil's municipalities was observed, with a persistent sex differential. CONCLUSION: Mortality rates at a small-area level were successfully estimated and forecasted, with associated uncertainty estimates also generated for future life tables. Our approach could be applied across countries with data quality issues to improve public policy planning.

Investigating regional excess mortality during 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in selected Latin American countries.

In this paper, we measure the effect of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic wave at the national and subnational levels in selected Latin American countries that were most affected: Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. We used publicly available monthly mortality data to measure the impacts of the pandemic using excess mortality for each country and its regions. We compare the mortality, at national and regional levels, in 2020 to the mortality levels of recent trends and provide estimates of the impact of mortality on life expectancy at birth. Our findings indicate that from April 2020 on, mortality exceeded its usual monthly levels in multiple areas of each country. In Mexico and Peru, excess mortality was spreading through many areas by the end of the second half of 2020. To a lesser extent, we observed a similar pattern in Brazil, Chile, and Ecuador. We also found that as the pandemic progressed, excess mortality became more visible in areas with poorer socioeconomic and sanitary conditions. This excess mortality has reduced life expectancy across these countries by 2-10 years. Despite the lack of reliable information on COVID-19 mortality, excess mortality is a useful indicator for measuring the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, especially in the context of Latin American countries, where there is still a lack of good information on causes of death in their vital registration systems. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41118-021-00139-1.

Estimaciones de esperanza de vida al nacer en áreas menores de la región pampeana / Estimativas de esperança de vida ao nascer em áreas menores da região pampeana / Estimates of life expectancy at birth in minor areas of the Pampean region

Para determinar el nivel y las diferencias de mortalidad entre los departamentos de Argentina entre 2009 y 2011, aplicamos y comparamos estimaciones de esperanza de vida al nacer en la región pampeana. Usamos tres métodos de suavizado: un enfoque bayesiano, un método de tablas de vida relacional y un enfoque indirecto de los niveles de mortalidad, en los departamentos de la región. Los resultados permiten ordenar los departamentos de las provincias de acuerdo con su esperanza de vida (con intervalos de confianza estadísticos) y calcular indicadores de desigualdad intraprovincial. Encontramos que la provincia de Buenos Aires fue la de mayor dispersión medida por el rango y el coeficiente de variación. El artículo contribuye a la discusión y aplicaciones de modelos alternativos para estimar la mortalidad local y proporciona la posibilidad de analizar los patrones espaciales para comprender los resultados demográficos individuales relacionados con características geográficas y socioeconómicas asociadas.

Para determinar o nível e as diferenças de mortalidade entre os departamentos da Argentina para o período de 2009 a 2011, aplicamos e comparamos as estimativas de expectativa de vida ao nascer na região pampeana. Usamos três métodos de suavização: uma abordagem bayesiana, uma abordagem de tabela de vida relacional e uma abordagem indireta para os níveis de mortalidade, em 218 departamentos da região. Os resultados permitem ordenar os departamentos das províncias de acordo com a sua esperança de vida (com intervalos de confiança estatísticos) e calcular indicadores de desigualdade intraprovincial. Constatamos que a província de Buenos Aires foi a que apresentou maior dispersão medida pela amplitude e coeficiente de variação. O artigo contribui para a discussão e aplicação de modelos alternativos para estimar a mortalidade em nível local e oferece a possibilidade de analisar os padrões espaciais essenciais para a compreensão dos resultados demográficos individuais relacionados às características geográficas e socioeconômicas associadas, bem como uma ferramenta para orientar planos de desenvolvimento e alocação de recursos.

To determine the level and differences in mortality among departments of Argentina between 2009 and 2011, we applied and compared estimates of life expectancy at birth in the Pampean Region. We used three smoothing methods: a Bayesian approach, a relational life table approach, and an indirect approach to mortality levels, in 218 departments of the region. The results allow ordering the departments of the provinces according to life expectancy (with statistical confidence intervals) and calculating indicators of intraprovincial inequality. We found that the province of Buenos Aires was the one with the highest dispersion measured by the range and the coefficient of variation. The article contributes to the discussion and application of alternative models to estimate mortality at the local level and provides the possibility of analyzing spatial patterns essential to understanding the individual demographic outcomes related to associated geographic and socioeconomic characteristics, as well as a tool to guide development plans and allocate resources.

Comparative analysis of completeness of death registration, adult mortality and life expectancy at birth in Brazil at the subnational level.

BACKGROUND: Estimates of completeness of death registration are crucial to produce estimates of life tables and population projections and to estimate the burden of disease. They are an important step in assessing the quality of data. In the case of subnational data analysis in Brazil, it is important to consider spatial and temporal variation in the quality of mortality data. There are two main sources of data quality evaluation in Brazil, but there are few comparative studies and how they evolve over time. The aim of the paper is to compare and discuss alternative estimates of completeness of death registration, adult mortality (45q15) and life expectancy estimates produced by the National Statistics Office (IBGE), Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), and estimates presented in Queiroz et al. (2017) and Schmertmann and Gonzaga (2018), for 1980 and 2010. METHODS: We provide a descriptive and comparative analysis of aforementioned estimates from four (4) sources of estimates at subnational level (26 states and one Federal District) in Brazil from two different points in time. RESULTS: We found significant differences in estimates that affect both levels and trends of completeness of adult mortality in Brazil and states. IHME and Queiroz et al. (2017) estimates converge by 2010, but there are large differences when compared to estimates from the National Statistics Office (IBGE). Larger differences are observed for less developed states. We have showed that the quality of mortality data in Brazil has improved steadily overtime, but with large regional variations. However, we have observed that IBGE estimates show the lowest levels of completeness for the Northern of the country compared to other estimates. Choice of methods and approaches might lead to very unexpected results. CONCLUSION: We produced a detailed comparative analysis of estimates of completeness of death registration from different sources and discuss the main results and possible explanations for these differences. We have also showed that new improved methods are still needed to study adult mortality in less developed countries and at a subnational level. More comparative studies are important in order to improve quality of estimates in Brazil.

On closed-form expressions to Gompertz-Makeham life expectancy.

Missov and Lenart (2013) derived closed-form solutions to the life expectancy and remaining life expectancy at age x when the mortality is governed by a Gompertz-Makeham hazard, which is a parametric model commonly applied to human mortality data at adult and old ages. However, the closed-form expressions provided by these authors are not correct. We provide, therefore, valid and correct expressions using elementary calculus. We also consider numerical studies using real data to show that the formulas we provide deliver satisfactory results.

Correction to: Evaluation of the mortality registry in Ecuador (2001-2013) - social and geographical inequalities in completeness and quality.

Following the publication of this article [1], the authors reported a typesetting error in Table 1 that caused the columns of the table to be ordered incorrectly, and a typographical error in a sentence in the Conclusions section.

Evaluation of the mortality registry in Ecuador (2001-2013) - social and geographical inequalities in completeness and quality.

BACKGROUND: Mortality registries are an essential data source for public health surveillance and for planning and evaluating public policy. Nevertheless, there are still large inequalities in the completeness and quality of mortality registries between and within countries. In Ecuador, there have been few nationwide evaluations of the mortality registry and no evaluations of inequalities between provinces. This kind of analysis is fundamental for strengthening the vital statistics system. METHODS: Ecological study assessing the completeness, quality and internal consistency of mortality data in the provinces of Ecuador, using 13 years of mortality data (2001-2013). Completeness was assessed using three types of death distribution methods (DDMs), quality by estimating the percentages of garbage codes and deaths with unspecified age or sex in the registered deaths, and internal consistency by estimating the percentage of deaths with reported causes of deaths considered impossible in some age-sex combinations. Finally, we propose a classification of the mortality registry in the studied areas based on completeness and quality. RESULTS: Completeness estimates (mean of the three methods used) in the provinces ranged from 21 to 87% in women and from 35 to 89% in men. The percentage of garbage codes in the provinces ranged from 21 to 56% in women and from 25 to 52% in men. Garbage coding was higher in women and in older age groups. The percentage of deaths with unspecified age or sex, and the percentage of deaths with reported causes of deaths considered impossible in some age-sex combinations was low in all the studied areas. The mortality registry could only be classified as acceptable in one area for men and one area for women. CONCLUSIONS: We found substantial inequalities by sex, geographical areas and age in the completeness and quality of the mortality registry of Ecuador. The findings of this study will be helpful to direct measures to improve Ecuador's vital statistics system and to generate strategies to reduce bias when using mortality data to analyse health inequalities in the country.

Cause-specific mortality for 249 causes in Brazil and states during 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2015.

BACKGROUND: Reliable data on cause of death (COD) are fundamental for planning and resource allocation priorities. We used GBD 2015 estimates to examine levels and trends for the leading causes of death in Brazil from 1990 to 2015. METHODS: We describe the main analytical approaches focused on both overall and specific causes of death for Brazil and Brazilian states. RESULTS: There was an overall improvement in life expectancy at birth from 1990 to 2015, but with important heterogeneity among states. Reduced mortality due to diarrhea, lower respiratory infections, and other infectious diseases contributed the most for increasing life expectancy in most states from the North and Northeast regions. Reduced mortality due to cardiovascular diseases was the highest contributor in the South, Southeast, and Center West regions. However, among men, intentional injuries reduced life expectancy in 17 out of 27 states. Although age-standardized rates due to ischemic heart disease (IHD) and cerebrovascular disease declined over time, these remained the leading CODs in the country and states. In contrast, leading causes of premature mortality changed substantially - e.g., diarrheal diseases moved from 1st to 13th and then the 36th position in 1990, 2005, and 2015, respectively, while violence moved from 7th to 1st and to 2nd. Overall, the total age-standardized years of life lost (YLL) rate was reduced from 1990 to 2015, bringing the burden of premature deaths closer to expected rates given the country's Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In 1990, IHD, stroke, diarrhea, neonatal preterm birth complications, road injury, and violence had ratios higher than the expected, while in 2015 only violence was higher, overall and in all states, according to the SDI. CONCLUSIONS: A widespread reduction of mortality levels occurred in Brazil from 1990 to 2015, particularly among children under 5 years old. Major shifts in mortality rates took place among communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional disorders. The mortality profile has shifted to older ages with increases in non-communicable diseases as well as premature deaths due to violence. Policymakers should address health interventions accordingly.

Population transitions and temperature change in Minas Gerais, Brazil: a multidimensional approach / Transições populacionais e mudança de temperatura em Minas Gerais, Brasil: uma abordagem multidimensional / /Transiciones poblacionales y cambio de temperatura en Minas Gerais, Brasil: un abordaje multidimensional

Climate change will exacerbate the vulnerability of places and people around the world in the next decades, especially in less developed regions. In this paper, we investigate future scenarios of population vulnerability to climate change for the next 30 years in 66 regions of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Based upon the Alkire & Foster Index, we integrate simulated and projected dimensions of population vulnerability into a Multidimensional Index, showing how scenarios of temperature change would affect each region's relative vulnerability in the future. Results suggest that economic and health dimensions are the highest contributors to increases in temperature-related vulnerability, with the poorest and agribusiness regions being the most impacted in decades to come...

As mudanças climáticas exacerbarão, nas próximas décadas, a vulnerabilidade de populações, lugares e pessoas ao redor do mundo, especialmente nos países em desenvolvimento. Este artigo investiga cenários hipotéticos futuros de vulnerabilidade às mudanças climáticas para os próximos 30 anos, em 66 microrregiões do Estado de Minas Gerais. Com base no Índice de Alkire e Foster, são integradas as dimensões simuladas e projetadas de vulnerabilidade populacional em um indicador multidimensional, o qual mostra como cenários de mudanças de temperatura afetariam a vulnerabilidade relativa de cada região no futuro. Os resultados sugerem que as dimensões econômica e de saúde são as maiores contribuintes para o aumento da vulnerabilidade relacionada às alterações na temperatura média, com as regiões mais pobres e voltadas ao agronegócio constituindo as mais afetadas em cenários futuros...

En las próximas décadas, el cambio climático exacerbará la vulnerabilidad de las poblaciones alrededor del mundo, especialmente en los países en desarrollo. En este artículo se investigan escenarios hipotéticos futuros de vulnerabilidad frente al cambio climático para los próximos 30 años en 66 microrregiones del estado de Minas Gerais. Sobre la base del Índice de Alkire y Foster, se integran en un indicador multidimensional las dimensiones simuladas y proyectadas de vulnerabilidad poblacional, mostrando cómo los escenarios de cambios de temperatura afectarían la vulnerabilidad relativa de cada región en el futuro. Los resultados sugieren que las dimensiones económica y de salud son las que más contribuyen en el aumento de la vulnerabilidad relacionada con las alteraciones de la temperatura media, y que las regiones más pobres y volcadas al agronegocio constituirán las más afectadas en estos escenarios futuros...

Estimating pregnancy-related mortality from census data: experience in Latin America.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of measuring maternal mortality in countries lacking accurate birth and death registration through national population censuses by a detailed evaluation of such data for three Latin American countries. METHODS: We used established demographic techniques, including the general growth balance method, to evaluate the completeness and coverage of the household death data obtained through population censuses. We also compared parity to cumulative fertility data to evaluate the coverage of recent household births. After evaluating the data and adjusting it as necessary, we calculated pregnancy-related mortality ratios (PRMRs) per 100 000 live births and used them to estimate maternal mortality. FINDINGS: The PRMRs for Honduras (2001), Nicaragua (2005) and Paraguay (2002) were 168, 95 and 178 per 100 000 live births, respectively. Surprisingly, evaluation of the data for Nicaragua and Paraguay showed overreporting of adult deaths, so a downward adjustment of 20% to 30% was required. In Honduras, the number of adult female deaths required substantial upward adjustment. The number of live births needed minimal adjustment. The adjusted PRMR estimates are broadly consistent with existing estimates of maternal mortality from various data sources, though the comparison varies by source. CONCLUSION: Census data can be used to measure pregnancy-related mortality as a proxy for maternal mortality in countries with poor death registration. However, because our data were obtained from countries with reasonably good statistical systems and literate populations, we cannot be certain the methods employed in the study will be equally useful in more challenging environments. Our data evaluation and adjustment methods worked, but with considerable uncertainty. Ways of quantifying this uncertainty are needed.