Volume 29 - Article 5 | Pages 105–132

Distortion of regional old-age mortality due to late-life migration in the Netherlands?

By Eva Kibele, Fanny Janssen

Print this page  Facebook  Twitter

 

 
Date received:27 Sep 2012
Date published:23 Jul 2013
Word count:4858
Keywords:migration, mortality, old age, regional differences
DOI:10.4054/DemRes.2013.29.5
 

Abstract

Background: Regional mortality differences are an important public health indicator and can serve as the basis for population forecasts and local planning. Health-related migration at old age may distort observed regional mortality.

Objective: We assess whether internal migration in late life has the potential for distortion of regional old-age mortality rates and differences therein.

Methods: Using data from the Dutch population register we analyzed migration and death rates in the population aged 80+ across the Dutch NUTS 2 regions, NUTS 3 regions and municipalities in the years 2002-2006. Observed sex-specific age-standardized death rates-and regional differences therein-are compared to hypothetical rates in the three years prior to death disregarding migration.

Results: Internal migration in the last three years among those aged 80+ in the period 2002-2006 is higher between municipalities, for women and for those who died. Almost half of the municipalities showed differences of more than ±5% between the observed and hypothetical rates. Many of the municipalities, whose observed mortality rates significantly differed from the Dutch average, displayed no significant difference in hypothetical rates. Regional mortality variation across the municipalities decreased significantly if migration prior to death is disregarded. Greater differences were observed for women as compared to men. There were only minimal differences at NUTS 2 and NUTS 3 levels.

Conclusions: Migration flows at old age prior to death have the potential to significantly distort regional old-age mortality rates and patterns, as shown for the Dutch municipalities. The bias depends on age, regional level, migration intensity, and the role of nursing care.

Author's Affiliation

Eva Kibele - Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, the Netherlands [Email]
Fanny Janssen - Nederlands Interdisciplinair Demografisch Instituut (NIDI), the Netherlands [Email]

Other articles by the same author/authors in Demographic Research

» Sigma and beta convergence in regional mortality: A case study of the Netherlands
Volume 35 - Article 4

» Impact of different mortality forecasting methods and explicit assumptions on projected future life expectancy: The case of the Netherlands
Volume 29 - Article 13

» The contribution of smoking to regional mortality differences in the Netherlands
Volume 27 - Article 9

Most recent similar articles in Demographic Research

» Lifetime income and old age mortality risk in Italy over two decades
Volume 29 - Article 45    | Keywords: mortality, old age, regional differences

» Differences in all-cause mortality: A comparison between immigrants and the host population in Norway 1990-2012
Volume 34 - Article 22    | Keywords: migration, mortality

» An inquiry into the uneven distribution of women’s HIV infection in rural Malawi
Volume 25 - Article 28    | Keywords: migration, mortality

» Unusually small sex differentials in mortality of Israeli Jews: What does the structure of causes of death tell us?
Volume 20 - Article 11    | Keywords: migration, mortality

» The implications of long term community involvement for the production and circulation of population knowledge
Volume 17 - Article 13    | Keywords: migration, mortality

Articles

»Volume 29

 

Citations

 

 

Similar Articles

 

 

Jump to Article

Volume Page
Volume Article ID