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Avoidable mortality in Europe 1955-1994: a plea for prevention
L Simonato1, T Ballard, P Bellini
1Venetian Tumour Registry, Padova, Italy.
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
|February 19, 1999
Summary
Avoidable mortality in Europe significantly decreased from 1955-1994, primarily due to improved medical care. Further reductions require enhanced primary and secondary prevention strategies, including tobacco control and cancer screening.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- Analysis of avoidable mortality trends in Europe from 1955 to 1994.
- Focus on causes amenable to primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.
Observation:
- Mortality reductions were greater for avoidable causes than all causes (45.8% women, 39.3% men).
- Greatest reductions were in causes amenable to improved medical care (77.9% women, 76.3% men).
- Smallest reductions were in secondary prevention for women (11.0%) and primary prevention for men (16.6%).
Findings:
- Improved medical care significantly reduced avoidable mortality across Europe.
- Primary and secondary prevention strategies showed smaller, yet significant, impacts.
Implications:
- Continued focus on enhancing medical treatments is crucial for reducing avoidable deaths.
- Implementing robust primary prevention (e.g., tobacco control, exposure reduction) and secondary prevention (e.g., cancer screening) is essential for further progress.