Avoidable Mortality of the Two Main Linguistic Communities in Québec

The authors examine "avoidable mortality" rates of Quebec Anglophones and Francophones over four periods: 1990−1994, 1995−1999, 2000−2004 and 2005−2007. Avoidable mortality refers to deaths occurring before age 75 due to causes that are known to be preventable. The analysis was performed for Quebec as a whole and for three specific areas: the Montreal census metropolitan area (CMA), all of Quebec's other census metropolitan areas (Gatineau, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, and Saguenay), and the rest of the province (i.e., non-metropolitan areas, or non-CMAs). Avoidable death rates for Quebec Anglophones and Francophones generally decreased between 1990−1994 and 2005−2007, with a few exceptions, although Anglophones often had lower avoidable mortality rates than Francophones in 1990−1994. Overall, the authors found: the avoidable mortality rate for lung cancer in Anglophone women in Quebec as a whole and in the Montreal CMA remained unchanged for 18 years, while in the other CMAs and nonmetropolitan areas, the rate seems to have increased. The avoidable mortality rate for lung cancer in Francophone women increased significantly throughout Quebec. The avoidable mortality rate for colorectal cancer decreased significantly for Francophone men and women in 18 years. This decline has not been observed among Anglophones, where the rate has stagnated. Ischemic heart disease and breast cancer (in women) decreased considerably in both groups across Quebec during the period studied, although the decreases were not always significant for the Anglophone population. Anglophone men and women in Quebec had significantly lower rates of lung cancer, suicide, intentional injuries, traffic accidents, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 2005−2007.

Québec

Institut national de santé publique du Québec

2013

viii-48.

en

978-2-550-62944-3