Abstract
ObjectivesTo analyze the gender difference in life expectancy in Chinese urban people and explore the age-specific and cause-specific contributions to the changing gender differences in life expectancy.MethodsData of life expectancy and mortality were obtained from “Annual statistics of public health in China.” The gender difference was analyzed by decomposition method, including age-specific decomposition and cause-specific decomposition.ResultsWomen lived much longer than men in Chinese urban areas, with remarkable gains in life expectancy since 2005, respectively. The gender difference reached a peak in 2007. Mortality difference between men and women in the 60–79 age group made the largest contributions to the gender gap in life expectancy in all 6 years. Among causes of death, cancers, circulatory diseases and respiratory diseases made the largest contributions to the gender gap. 33–38% of the gender gap were caused by cancers, among which lung cancer contributed 0.6 years of the overall gap. The contribution of cancers to the gender gap reduced over time, mostly influenced by the narrowing effect of liver cancer on gender gap. Traffic accidents and suicide were the external causes influencing the gender gap, contributing 10–16% of the overall difference.ConclusionPublic health efforts to reduce excess mortalities for cancers, circulatory disease, respiratory diseases, and suicide among men in particular might further narrow the gender gap in life expectancy in Chinese cities.
Highlights
Women generally had longer life expectancy at birth than men over the past two centuries while life expectancy increased steadily in both two genders [1,2]
Mortality difference between men and women in the 60–79 age group made the largest contributions to the gender gap in life expectancy in all 6 years
Cancers, circulatory diseases and respiratory diseases made the largest contributions to the gender gap. 33–38% of the gender gap were caused by cancers, among which lung cancer contributed 0.6 years of the overall gap
Summary
Women generally had longer life expectancy at birth than men over the past two centuries while life expectancy increased steadily in both two genders [1,2]. In China, great improvements have been achieved in life expectancy of both men and women during the past several decades [5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. With the data from life expectancy in Chinese cities of 2010, our study focused on the current status of life expectancy and the gender difference from 2005 to 2010. The objective of our study is to explore which age groups and causes of deaths have contributed the most to the changes of the gender gap in life expectancy in Chinese cities, so as to find out major contributing factors of this gap variation, explore solutions for further improving life expectancy and reducing gender differences, and provide fundamental data and constructive suggestions for policy-formulators of public health
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
