Applications and limitations of the concept of ‘avoidable mortality’ among immigrant groups in Europe
Citation: Makarova N, Klein-Ellinghaus F, Doetter LF. Applications and limitations of the concept of ‘avoidable mortality’ among immigrant groups in Europe: a scoping review. Public Health. 2015;129(4):342-50.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: PhD scholarship at Bremen University and partly funded by Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology, Germany, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and the German Research Foundation.
What is this? Avoidable mortality is a concept used in research to link the performance of a nation’s healthcare system to diseases that should not result in death in the presence of timely and effective healthcare and the current state of medical knowledge. It is often used as a measure of healthcare inequality in migrants, who represent a growing population with high unmet health needs.
In this scoping review, the authors searched for studies on the usage of the concept of avoidable mortality in migrant groups in Europe. The aim was to identify the strengths and limitations of the concept of avoidable mortality for comparative research. Peer-reviewed empirical studies, conceptual papers, and methodological meeting abstracts were included if published in English or German between 1990 to 2011. The search was undertaken in December 2011. They included 37 studies from 10 European countries.
What was found: Authors found that there was a positive correlation between European healthcare system performance and avoidable premature mortality for migrants compared to host populations. The included studies that used the concept of avoidable mortality directly or indirectly reported similar major avoidable causes of death (e.g. circulatory system diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and cancers).
Implications: The authors of the review stated that researchers who consider avoidable mortality and migrant health equity should develop a standardised approach that enhances the ability for comparative research.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discuss their findings in the context of place of residence (Europe), socioeconomic status, and social capital.
This summary was prepared by Charlotte Flemming, checked by Sydney Johnson, and finalized by Helen Worthington.