title: [Mortality in areas with different socioeconomic characteristics in Palermo].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether mortality rates differ among areas with different values of a socioeconomic index.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ecological mortality study; mortality rates were compared among four areas joining census tracts categorized by quartiles of a socioeconomic status index. This index was calculated using individual 2001 census data in a factorial analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in Palermo (Italy) a city with 668,996 inhabitants in 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sex, age group, cause specific standardized mortality rates and rate ratios, expected life years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The area with the lowest value of the socioeconomic index had mortality rates higher than the area with the uppermost value. This occurred in both sexes, all age groups and for most mortality causes (with few exceptions): not all rate ratios were always statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite limitations due to the use of an area-based index, results suggest that the welfare system is not successful in compensating health inequalities caused by socioeconomic inequalities.
authors.affiliation: Servizio dipartimentale di sanità pubblica, epidemiologia e medicina preventiva, Ausl n.6, Palermo. pinzonef@libero.it
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pinzone
authors.forename: Nicolò
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Casuccio
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mancuso
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pitarresi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult