Interaction between education, marital status, ethnicity, place of residence, and place of birth and cause-specific mortality: evidence from the first census-linked study in Lithuania

Domantas Jasilionis, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Vladimir Shkolnikov, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
France Meslé, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)
Evgeni Andreev, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Dmitri A. Jdanov, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Dalia Ambrozaitiene, Statistics Lithuania
Vlada Stankuniene, Demographic Research Center, Lithuania
Jacques Vallin, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)

Persisting significant health inequalities are the key challenge for recovering health situation in the post-communist countries. So far, the published indicators on mortality differentials have been suffering from numerator-denominator bias. For the first time in the post-soviet space, the present study uses census-linked mortality data of 2001-04. Our study focuses on the inter-group variability in mortality by cause of death by education, marital status, ethnicity, place of residence, and place of birth for the ages above 30. Additionally, we estimate mortality risks by different combinations of the aforementioned socio-demographic groups. The results disclose much more striking mortality gradients than using the traditional approach. In some unfavourable causes of death such as infectious, alcohol-related and external causes of death, it is particularly evident. Our approach allows a more precise identification of disadvantaged groups than before and sheds more light on mechanisms underlying excess adult mortality in Lithuania.