Racial disparities in life expectancy in Brazil: Challenges from a multiracial society

A.D.P. Chiavegatto Filho, H. Beltrań-Sánchez and I. Kawachi

American Journal of Public Health, 2014, vol. 104, issue 11, 2156-2162

Abstract: Objectives. We calculated life expectancy at birth for Whites, Blacks, and mixed races in Brazil, and decomposed the differences by causes of death. Methods. We used Ministry of Health death records and 2010 Census population data (190 755 799 residents and 1 136 947 deaths). We applied the Arriaga methodology to calculate decomposition of life expectancy by cause of death. We performed sensitivity analyses for underreporting of deaths, missing data, and numerator-denominator bias. Results. Using standard life table methods, female life expectancy was highest for mixed races (78.80 years), followed by Whites (77.54 years), then Blacks (76.32 years). Male life expectancy was highest for Whites (71.10 years) followed closely by mixed races (71.08 years), and lower for Blacks (70.11 years). Homicides contributed the most to the relative life expectancy increase for Whites, and cancer decreased the gap. After adjustment for underreporting, missing data, and numerator-denominator bias, life expectancy was higher for Whites than for Blacks and mixed races. Conclusions. Despite wide socioeconomic differences between Whites and mixed races, standard life table methods showed that mixed races had higher life expectancy than Whites for women, and similar for men. With the increase of multiracial populations, measuring racial disparities in life expectancy will be a fast-growing challenge. © 2014, American Public Health Association Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords: adolescent; adult; aged; ancestry group; Black person; Brazil; Caucasian; child; epidemiology; female; health disparity; human; infant; life expectancy; life table; male; middle aged; preschool child; statistics and numerical data; very elderly; young adult, Adolescent; Adult; African Continental Ancestry Group; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Brazil; Child; Child, Preschool; Continental Population Groups; European Continental Ancestry Group; Female; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Infant; Life Expectancy; Life Tables; Male; Middle Aged; Young Adult (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301565_2

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301565

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