title: Socio-economic mortality inequalities in Lithuania during 2001-2009: the record linkage study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To present socio-economic inequalities in mortality and their trends in Lithuania using routinely collected data and record linkage for the years 2001-2009, as related to educational level, occupation, economic activity, marital status and household size.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Record linkage was performed using personal identification number between three data sources: 2001 population census, national mortality register for years 2001-2009 and population register, including individuals of age 30 years and older. The linked data set consisted of 2,061,481 records, including 338,652 death cases. Age-standardized mortality rates were calculated for socio-economic groups and compared in terms of rate differences (RD) and rate ratios (RR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant mortality inequalities were found for all socio-economic variables. Both among males and females the highest RR were observed for the occupation (males--3.4, females--2.8) and economic activity status (males--2.7, females--3.1). RR were the highest in mid-ages and declined with ageing. RD increased with the increase in total mortality during 2005-2007, while decline in inequalities was observed in later years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower education, manual occupations, unemployed, economically inactive and unmarried groups of population appeared in the most unfavourable position in terms of mortality and contributed most to the mortality increase in Lithuania throughout 2005-2007.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Public Health, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kalediene
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Public Health, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prochorskas
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Public Health, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Lithuania. Electronic address: skirmante.sauliune@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sauliune
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019352:Censuses; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008097:Lithuania / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Education; Marital status; Mortality; Occupation; Record linkage; Socio-economic inequalities