Cause-of-death distributions and mortality trends in Turkey between 2009 and 2017

Making the right decisions in the field of public health depends on the reliable recording of statistical data such as death and birth. There have been radical changes and innovations in the death registration since 2009 in Turkey to improve reporting.

To examine the distribution and the trend of causes of death between the years 2009 and 2017 in Turkey.

Descriptive study.

In this study, the causes of death were evaluated in three groups used in the Global Burden of Disease study. Group I included infectious, maternal, perinatal, and nutritional conditions; group II included noncommunicable diseases; and group III included injuries. Age-standardized mortality rates were calculated per 100,000 according to age, sex, and cause of death. Joinpoint regression was used to evaluate the trend in mortality rates. In addition, the leading causes of death were also determined.

In total, age-standardized mortality rates increased significantly on average annually (1.5% per year). When the trends of causes of death were examined according to gender, there was a significant increase in deaths from group I in both genders and a significant increase in deaths from group III in males, whereas there was no statistically significant change in deaths from group II between 2009 and 2017.

A significant quantitative improvement in death registration was seen in Turkey between the years 2009 and 2017. This is due to the increase in the number of reported deaths. The change in the distribution of causes of death is noteworthy. This research can provide the basis for further researches that will examine the change in causes of death.