title: Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in 16 European cities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore inequalities in total mortality between small areas of 16 European cities for men and women, as well as to analyse the relationship between these geographical inequalities and their socioeconomic indicators.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional ecological design was used to analyse small areas in 16 European cities (26,229,104 inhabitants). Most cities had mortality data for a period between 2000 and 2008 and population size data for the same period. Socioeconomic indicators included an index of socioeconomic deprivation, unemployment, and educational level. We estimated standardised mortality ratios and controlled for their variability using Bayesian models. We estimated relative risk of mortality and excess number of deaths according to socioeconomic indicators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed a consistent pattern of inequality in mortality in almost all cities, with mortality increasing in parallel with socioeconomic deprivation. Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality were more pronounced for men than women, and relative inequalities were greater in Eastern and Northern European cities, and lower in some Western (men) and Southern (women) European cities. The pattern of excess number of deaths was slightly different, with greater inequality in some Western and Northern European cities and also in Budapest, and lower among women in Madrid and Barcelona.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, we report a consistent pattern of socioeconomic inequalities in mortality in 16 European cities. Future studies should further explore specific causes of death, in order to determine whether the general pattern observed is consistent for each cause of death.
authors.affiliation: 1Agència de Salut Pública de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Carme
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Borrell
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marí-Dell'olmo
authors.forename: Laia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Palència
authors.forename: Mercè
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gotsens
authors.forename: B O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Burström
authors.forename: Felicitas
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Domínguez-Berjón
authors.forename: Maica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Sanz
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dzúrová
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gandarillas
authors.forename: Rasmus
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Katalin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kovacs
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marinacci
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martikainen
authors.forename: Hynek
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pikhart
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Corman
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rosicova
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saez
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.forename: Lasse
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tarkiainen
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Puigpinós
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: M Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Pasarín
authors.forename: Èlia
authors.initials: È
authors.lastname: Díez
mesh_terms: D002947:Cities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D017062:Small-Area Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Cities; Europe; mortality; small areas; socioeconomic factors