Avoidable mortality in Russia and the EU: similarities and differences

Tamara P. Sabgayda, Federal Research Institute for Health Organization and Informatics, Russia
Victoria G. Semyonova, Federal Research Institute for Health Organization and Informatics, Russia

New list of preventable causes (PC) for post-industrial European countries was developed. Old list is useful in less developed countries yet. The question is: how choice of list of PC influences on analysis results? We compared results based on two lists of PC for Russia and EU before May 2004. European mortality database was used. Analysis was conducted for men and women aged 25-64 years for 1999 - 2013. List 1 (W Holland, 1997) was adopted for use in Russia in 2005. List 2 was proposed by E Nolte and M McKee (2004). In both lists, we grouped PC into three levels of death prevention. In 2013, avoidable mortality of men and women in Russia was higher than in EU at 4.1 and 2.2 times for List 1 and 6.1 and 3.2 times for List 2. From 2003 to 2013, mortality of men and women has decreased more in Russia than in EU: 1.7 and 1.6 times vs 23.8% and 13.1% for List 1 and 1.7 and 1.6 times vs 41.3% and 29.0% for List 2. The greatest reduction in Russian mortality comes in group 1 for both sexes and both Lists. The greatest death reduction in EU comes in group 3 among men and in group 2 among women for List 1; in group 1 among both sexes for List 2. Results of avoidable mortality analysis in EU depend significantly on list of PC in contrast to Russia. For EU, it isn’t appropriate to include the causes that depend on primary prevention into the list of PC in contrast to the less developed countries. Control of PC is not the same at different stages of society development. When cross-country analysis, it is permissible to use any of PC list, while domestic analysis requires verification of current PC list.