title: On the determinants of mortality at the population level.
abstract: To attain a long and healthy life has always been one of the major goals of humanity. The Chinese emperors, the Egyptian pharaohs and the Aztec kings all aspired to become immortal. To try to avoid mortality and to decrease morbidity at the population level is the role of public health, taken in its broadest sense, including both preventive and curative medicine. In this review we will try to identify the major determinants of mortality. Only when we are able to identify the major causes of mortality and morbidity can public health be approached in a rational way. The emphasis will be on mortality because, in our opinion, populations with a long life expectancy also have a low age-specific morbidity.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, K.U.Leuven, Belgium. Hugo.Kesteloot@med.kuleuven.ac.be
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kesteloot
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005828:Genetics, Population; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D012307:Risk Factors