Educational inequalities in deaths of despair in 14 OECD countries: a cross-sectional observational study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Deaths of despair are a key contributor to stagnating life expectancy in the USA, especially among those without a university-level education, but these findings have not been compared internationally.

Methods

Mortality and person-year population exposure data were collected in 14 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries and stratified by age, sex, educational attainment and cause of death. The sample included 1.4 billion person-year observations from persons aged ≥25 years between 2013 and 2019. Country-specific and sex-specific contributions of deaths of despair to: (a) the life expectancy gap at age 25 and (b) rate differences in age-standardised mortality rates between high and low educational attainment groups were calculated.

SUBMITTER: Lubker C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11874332 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature