Explaining the excess mortality in Scotland compared with England: pooling of 18 cohort studies.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Mortality in Scotland is higher than in the rest of west and central Europe and is improving more slowly. Relative to England and Wales, the excess is only partially explained by area deprivation. We tested the extent to which sociodemographic, behavioural, anthropometric and biological factors explain the higher mortality in Scotland compared with England.

Methods

Pooled data from 18 nationally representative cohort studies comprising the Health Surveys for England (HSE) and the Scottish Health Survey (SHS). Cox regression analysis was used to quantify the excess mortality risk in Scotland relative to England with adjustment for baseline characteristics.

Results

A total of 193,873 participants with a mean of 9.6 years follow-up gave rise to 21,345 deaths.

SUBMITTER: McCartney G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4283682 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature