Socioeconomic trends in differential mortality among middle-aged males in Norway 1960-1990

This study is based on data from three censuses (1960, 1979, and 1980) linked to the cause of death statistics kept during a 10-year follow-up period subsequent to each census. Linkages have been made for each individual male aged 30-64 years at the time of the census, based on their Norwegian national personal identification numbers. Socioeconomic status categories are specified according to the Norwegian classification of socioeconomic status. The 10-year post-census follow-up periods have each been divided into two five-year periods, and mortality has been calculated for both, based on the subjects’ socioeconomic status at the outset of the 10-year period. The study showed a decrease in mortality for all socioeconomic status categories. However, the decrease was far more pronounced among mean-level and higher-level salaried employees than among unskilled workers, farmers and fishermen. An even larger socioeconomic gap appeared between the fates of mortality due to cardiovascular disease. There are indications that the gaps may be health- related, since workers’ mortality rate increased from the first to the second five-year period following a census, while the same pattern was not found for salaried employees.