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Does it matter where I live in Western Europe?

An analysis of regional mortality differentials in Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands

Cela importe-t-il de savoir où je vis en Europe de l'Ouest?

Une analyse des différences de mortalité régionale en Belgique, en Allemagne et en Hollande

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Abstract

Regional differentials in life expectancy at birth during the 1980s in Belgium, The Netherlands and some parts of the former Federal Republic of Germany are presented and commented upon. Life expectancy at birth during the 1980s was highest in The Netherlands, and lowest in some parts of southern Belgium. Substantial differentials existed in 1980, particularly because of differential mortality due to diseases of the circulatory system, lung cancer, breast cancer, motor vehicle accidents and suicide. These differentials persisted throughout the 1980s, but gradually converged. Gains in life expectancy were mainly due to declining cardiovascular and cerebrovascular mortality. Sharp and persistent differentials between border regions in the study area point to societal and cultural forces bringing about dividing lines between relatively homogeneous mortality profiles.

Résumé

On présente et commente ici les différences d'espérance de vie à la naissance observées durant les années 1980 en Belgique, en Hollande et dans certaines parties de l'ancienne RFA. L'espérance de vie à la naissance était la plus élevée en Hollande et la plus basse dans certaines parties du sud de la Belgique. Des différences importantes existaient en 1980, particulièrement liées à la mortalité différentielle due aux maladies de l'appareil circulatoire, au cancer du poumon et du sein, aux accidents de véhicules à moteur et au suicide. Ces différences diminuent graduellement au cours des années 1980, mais persistent toujours. Les gains d'espérance de vie ont été surtout dus à un déclin de la mortalité cardiovasculaire et cérébrovasculaire. Des différences importantes qui subsistent toujours entre régions frontières signalent des effets sociaux et culturels qui entraînent des lignes de démarcation entre des profils de mortalité relativement homogènes.

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  1. Population Research Centre, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 800, 9700 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Willem Jan van der Veen

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  1. Willem Jan van der Veen
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van der Veen, W.J. Does it matter where I live in Western Europe?. Eur J Population 10, 319–348 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01266567

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01266567

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