Premature mortality in health regions with high aboriginal populations

Potential years of life lost (PYLL) before age 75 in health regions with a relatively high proportion of Aboriginal residents is compared, by cause of death, with all other health regions. The findings are based on mortality data for 1995 through 1997 from the Canadian Vital Statistics Database, and on population estimates for 1995, 1996 and 1997 at the health region level. PYLL was calculated by age and sex for two groups of health regions: the 18 with a high proportion (19% or more) of Aboriginal residents and the remaining 120, which had smaller proportions of Aboriginal residents. PYLL rate differences and rate ratios were used to compare the two groups. The PYLL rate per 1,000 person-years at risk for all causes of death was about 50% greater in the high-Aboriginal health regions than in the other group. Almost 40% of total PYLL in high-Aboriginal health regions was attributable to injuries, notably, suicide and motor vehicles accidents.