No country for old men: gender disparities in Portuguese mortality

Abstract

Abstract Background Portugal is divided into 25 NUTS 3 (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics). Mortality tracking is one of the core elements of SDG3 indicators. It can also be used as an essential metric to SDG5 on gender disparities. This study looked into gender disparities in mortality in Portugal. Methods We used data from Statistics Portugal, precisely the standardized rate of potential years of life lost per 100 000 inhabitants to all causes of death using the standard European population by gender. We subdivided by NUTS 3 and we have plotted PYLL for males, females, and the difference between both for the year 2018 using ArcMap 10.7.1. Further descriptive analysis was conducted in R 3.61 and Rstudio 1.2.5033. Results We have found significant gender disparities in mortality. These gender disparities afflicted men the most. In 88% of NUTS3, the PYLL difference of more than 2000 years/100000 when comparing men with women. The higher disparities were in the Azores, Alto Tâmega, and the Douro. Some of the critical specific causes of mortality that lead to this disparity are malignant tumors, mental health problems, alcohol abuse, circulatory system diseases, accidents, and suicides. Conclusions We have found that there are significant disparities in gender mortality targeting men. Although it is higher in some Portuguese regions, the problem is widespread. Further research is needed to address the causes of gender disparity in health outcomes in Portugal. Key messages Huge gap in YPLL between men and women, starting an young adult age. The urgent need for health programs that target men health problems.