TORONTO – A new report says the rate of premature deaths in
Canada has plummeted over the past 30 years, a result of social
policies like seat belt laws and improvements in disease prevention
and treatment.
The rate of Canadians who die before age 75 – the cut off health
policy analysts use to define premature death – has almost halved in
the three decades covered by the study, released today by Canadian
Institutes for Health Information.
In 1979, 373 out of every 100,000 Canadian deaths could have been
averted or prevented, through timely care or disease prevention. By
2008, the number had dropped to 185 per 100,000 people.
“It’s a good news story,” said Joanne Hader, manager of health
indicators for CIHI.
There have been enormous societal changes over that period, and
huge biomedical advances.
Strict drinking and driving legislation, seat belt laws and bike
helmet requirements (where they exist), graduated licences for new
drivers – all have come into effect over the time studied. It’s now
the standard for vehicles to be equipped with airbags.
Over the same period, medical science has developed a deeper
understanding of the causes of cardiovascular disease and how it can
be avoided, and societal attitudes have shifted towards placing a
premium on healthy eating and regular exercise.
Smoking has become an affliction of a minority; laws and bylaws
ban smokers from indulging in the workplace, on public transit, in
bars and restaurants, even in cars transporting children in some
locations.
Cancer screening programs have become widespread and cancer
treatment regimens have improved significantly.
Hader said the Canadian numbers follow international trends,
noting last week Britain released a report showing the same type of
trend.
The report breaks down premature deaths into those that could not
be avoided with the current state of science and avoidable deaths.
Unavoidable deaths, which make up only about 30 per cent of the
premature deaths, include those caused by diseases such as multiple
sclerosis or cystic fibrosis, for which there are currently no
cures.
The report said Canada has the third lowest rate of avoidable
deaths among G7 countries. Only Japan and France have rates that are
lower.
Over the study period, avoidable premature deaths among men
dropped by a whopping 55 per cent, compared with only a 43 per cent
reduction in women.
“This is actually all about the men. This is the motor vehicle
and the occupational injuries and that type of thing, where the
rates have always been higher among men,” Hader said.
Despite closing the gap somewhat, men are still more likely than
women to die of an avoidable premature death, the report shows.
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