Geographical and Socioeconomic Inequalities in Premature Cancer and Circulatory Mortality in Italy

Alessandro Feraldi, La Sapienza Università di Roma
Marilena Pappagallo, Italian National Institute of Statistics
Cristina Giudici, Sapienza University of Rome
Luisa Frova , Italian National Institute of Statistics

Reducing socioeconomic mortality inequalities remains a global public health priority. Individuals with lower socioeconomic status tend to experience higher mortality and poorer health outcomes. We use the 2019–2022 Mortality Inequality Database and estimate Relative Index of Inequality to assess socioeconomic inequalities in all-cause and cause-specific mortality across Italian regions, by age, sex, and causes of death (using educational attainment as socioeconomic proxy). Individuals with lower education face mortality rates up to four times higher than those with higher education. At ages 30–69 years, all-cause mortality inequalities are similar between men and women, but women experience greater disparities in circulatory disease mortality, whereas men show higher inequalities in cancer mortality. Notably, regions with low overall mortality do not necessarily exhibit low mortality inequalities, and vice versa. These findings highlight the need for targeted resource allocation to address health disparities in vulnerable groups and critical regions.

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 Presented in Session P5. Health, Mortality, and Ageing 1