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Tuesday, May 25, 2004 Study: Cervical cancer mortality by neighbourhood income1971 to 1996Death rates from cervical cancer declined by over 60% between 1971 and 1996, according to a new study of women in urban Canada published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. In addition, the gap between the richest and the poorest neighbourhoods has closed substantially. The difference in death rates between the richest and poorest neighbourhoods fell by 76% over the 25-year period. Among the one-fifth of Canadian women living in the lowest-income neighbourhoods, death rates declined by 65%, compared with 44% among the one-fifth in the highest-income neighbourhoods. Cervical cancers can be detected and treated at an early stage, so most deaths from this disease could have been avoided. The most rapid reductions in cervical cancer deaths occurred in the years immediately following the introduction of publicly funded universal health insurance in the early 1970s. This was particularly noticeable among women in the lowest-income groups. Death rates for cervical cancer levelled off among the higher-income groups by the mid-1980s, but continued to decline among the two-fifths of the population with the lowest incomes. Since the mid-1980s, rates in Canada have decreased more rapidly than those in the United States. However, rates are still higher in Canada than in France where screening is widespread or in Finland, where organized screening is well established. Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3233. The study "Cervical cancer mortality by neighbourhood income in urban Canada from 1971 to 1996," published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, is a collaboration of Statistics Canada, the University of Ottawa and McGill University. The article is available free, in English only, at http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/170/10/1545.pdf. For more information about the concepts, methods or data quality of the study, or to obtain a copy, contact Edward Ng (613-951-5308; edward.ng@statcan.gc.ca) or Russell Wilkins (613-951-5305; russell.wilkins@statcan.gc.ca), Health Analysis and Measurement Group. |
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