Trends in mortality inequalities by education

Gerry McCartney, David Walsh, David Batty and Louise Flanagan, NHS Scotland

(Project no. 20134)

This research project aims to describe the trend in mortality inequality by education group over time (1971-2001). It will describe the age standardised mortality rates for men and women in each group and then calculate the slope and relative indices of inequality.

Aim:

To describe trends in mortality inequality by education.

Background:

I am leading a larger research programme which is comparing international trends in mortality inequalities. Many other countries have trend data inequalities by education, but this is not currently published for the UK or England and Wales. This data is available by social class and area-based deprivation. For valid international comparisons to be made trends in educational inequalities in mortality are required for England and Wales (there is a study currently under way using the Scottish longitudinal study which will allow the Scottish data to be compared).

Method:

The linked census and mortality dataset will be used to determine various measures of inequality including the slope index of inequality (SII) and the relative index of inequality (RII). The measures of inequality will then be compared for the period following each census to calculate a trend in inequality (the SII and RII take account of variation in the underlying distribution of educational outcomes over time).