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1 February 2010 Mortality Variation by Birth Region and Ethnicity: An Illustration Based on the Finnish Population Register
Jan Saarela, Fjalar Finnäs
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Previous research has shown that the persistent regional mortality differences in Finland cannot be attributed to sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, or living conditions at young age. Using longitudinal population register data from Finland, we analyze the effect of birth region and ethnicity on mortality risks in men age 65–74 years and women age 75–84 years. Mortality from ischemic heart disease in particular is found to be highly influenced by these proxies for people's ancestry. The results are consistent with findings from population genetic and medical research, which says that genetic diversity is great across major regions of Finland and that this diversity may underlie variation in disease susceptibility. We argue that the regional mortality variation might reflect geographic clustering of hereditary factors, enforced by Finland's specific population development. We illustrate that large-scale population register data without genetic information or biomarkers can be useful for understanding cause-specific mortality within a national population.

© 2010 Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan 48201-1309
Jan Saarela and Fjalar Finnäs "Mortality Variation by Birth Region and Ethnicity: An Illustration Based on the Finnish Population Register," Human Biology 82(1), 1-15, (1 February 2010). https://doi.org/10.3378/027.082.0102
Received: 13 August 2009; Accepted: 1 October 2009; Published: 1 February 2010
KEYWORDS
ANCESTRY
Finland
ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE
POPULATION REGISTER
REGIONAL MORTALITY VARIATION
SWEDISH-SPEAKING FINNS
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