Mortality: Causes and Consequences

The lack of preparation for death among people and their families is widespread.

The grieving and bereavement processes that take place over the loss of a loved one are virtually universal, but the form they take is strongly influenced by cultural factors.

Mortality

The process of the depletion of a population through death.

Death comes at all ages, although some age groups are at greater risk than others.

Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary

Defines death as the irreversible cessation of (a) total cerebral function, (b) spontaneous function of the respiratory system, and (c) spontaneous function of the circulatory system.

The two approaches to measuring how frequently a disease occurs

Prevalence measures indicate the proportion of individuals in a population who have a specific disease at a particular point in time or during a specified interval.

Incidence refers to the number cases of a disease newly diagnosed during a specified period of time, usually one year.

Crude death rates

As is true of birth and morbidity, the most important sources of data on death and mortality are vital registration systems.

CDR = (D/P) × 1,000

Specific Death Rates

Demographers adjust for the manner in which the CDR treats all members of the population alike with respect to the risk of dying with the use of specific rates

DRs = Ds/Ps× 1,000

Age-Specific Rates

Measure the incidence of death among members of the same cohorts.

ASDRx = (Dx/Px) × 1,000.

Global Mortality Patterns: Past And Present

Focuses on the broad historical patterns of mortality change at the international level.