New Study sheds light on major differences in mortality rates between young men and women

In a bid to provide government and nonprofit groups with data that show where public health efforts are needed, researchers have now tried to shed light on why young people are dying. According to a new study published by The Lancet, the death rate among young people across the globe has been declining. But researchers noted that boys and young men are not doing as well as girls and young women. Since 1950, the death rate of young females ages 10 to 24 has gone down by 30% but for males in the same age group, it's only gone down by 15%, the study titled, 'Global, regional, and national mortality among young people aged 10–24 years, 1950–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019', found.

Now, using the analysis, which maintains a massive database of health statics from across the globe, researchers analysed the number of deaths, years of life and mortality rates by sex and age groups of young people in 204 countries. The report, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, revealed that the gap in mortality rates for young people in the worst-performing countries and the best-performing countries increased over time. Lead author, Dr Joseph Ward of the University College London, said that the findings surprised him as the scale of difference in mortality burden between males and females is also “quite striking”, NPR reported. 

'25% of deaths in young people due to accidents, conflicts & violence'

Overall, the researchers said that about a third of deaths in young people were due to accidents, injuries or conflicts, and violence. Other reasons were infections, poor nutrition or pregnancy. The researchers said that the deaths in young people were also due to non-communicable diseases such as cancer or suicide. They noted that many of these premature deaths are preventable. 

The study's authors explained that the mortality rates were strongly associated with a country’s level of development, and were lower in high-income nations as compared to low-income countries. They said that the cause of death also varied among regions. As per the study, suicide was the leading cause of death in 15 to 24 years old males in central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where in most other places it was transportation-related injuries. Additionally, violence and conflict were bigger problems in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Major differences in mortality rates between young men and women

Further, the study authors also explained the major differences in mortality between young men and women. They said that far more men ages 10 to 24 die than women in that age group. The rate of improvement in mortality over time has also been much greater in women than men. The researchers found some of the greatest relative reductions in mortality to be in younger female adolescents in high-income countries, and the slowest improvements were in 20 to 24-year-old males, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. 

The study didn’t address which interventions work and under what conditions, however, it suggested that policymakers need to focus on a broad range of causes of mortality that vary from country to country and region to region. The researchers said that the governments should also make sure that interventions are specific to adolescents and are separate from those targeted at adults or young children, NPR reported.  

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