Taiwan Releases 2008 Mortality Statistics

choi

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97年國人主要死因統計-依國際疾病傷害及死因分類標準第10版編碼. Department of Health, Taiwan, June 17, 2009.
http://www.doh.gov.tw/CHT2006/DM/DM2_p01.aspx?class_no=25&level_no=1&doc_no=71722

The above ress release comes with a report.

The report states, "97年 [未滿1歲] 嬰兒粗死亡率4.5 ‰ * * * 新生兒(未滿4週)死亡人數為538人，占嬰兒總死亡數之6成，粗死亡率為2.7 ‰，孕產婦粗死亡率(=孕產婦死亡數/活產嬰兒數×100,000)為6.5‰oo。"

Note: I cannot find ‰ or ‰oo in search engines. But here is the definitions:
(a) Infant mortality is defined as the number of deaths of infants (one year of age or younger) per 1000 live births.
(b) Included in "infant," a newborn is four weeks of age or younger.
(c) "A maternal death is defined as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes." World Health Organization (WHO). Maternal death is also known as maternal mortality.

My comment: "雖然國人死亡人數與粗死亡率逐年增加，但多年以來，國人標準化死亡率呈持續減少；且平均壽命持續增長，主要是與我國人口結構日趨老化有關。"

What does 粗 crude and 標準化 standardized mean?

(a) Rose Marie Martin, Age Standardization of Death Rates in New Jersey
Implications of a Change in the Standard Population. Center for Health Statistics, Department of Health and Senior Services, New Jersey, last updated Jul. 29, 2008.
http://www.state.nj.us/health/chs/topicaa.htm
("Death rates are greatly affected by the socioeconomic/demographic composition of the population at risk. Specifically, death rates have been shown to vary by age, race, gender, occupation, education and income levels of the population. However, death rates are most greatly impacted by the age distribution of the population")

(b) Crude death rate is deaths per 100,000 population. Standardized death rate is adjusted with age composition. The formula is as follows.

Age-Adjusted Rate. Department of Health and Senior Services, Missouri, undated.  
http://www.dhss.mo.gov/CDP_MICA/AARate.html

(i) age-specific death rate (ASDR)  = deaths in age group, ÷ estimated population of that age group × 100,000.
(ii) age-adjusted rate for deaths (AADR) = Summation of (ASDR X standard proportion)

(2) One suicide every two hours in Taiwan, officials say. DPA, June 17, 2009.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/273543,one-suicide-every-two-hours-in-taiwan-officials-say.html

Quote:

"The most common methods are carbon monoxide poisoning using burning charcoal, leaping from tall buildings and igniting gas tanks.

"Among Asian countries, Japan has the highest suicide rate.

Note: gas tank 瓦斯桶 (Until today, I did hear of this type of suicide, which must cause a lot of property damage.)

My comment: The DOH report indicates, "97年國人自殺粗死亡率(死亡人數/年中人口數)為每十萬人口17.9人，居國人主要死因之第9順位。如以2000年世界標準人口結構調整計算（即納入人口結構老化因素考量），2007年之標準化死亡率為每十萬人口15.2人." The CRUDE figure is relatively high in the world, which is
(a) lower than Russia (32.2, year 2005), S Korea (26.1, 2009), Hungary (26.0, 2005), Japan (23.7, 2006);
(b) about the same as France (17.6, 2005), Hong Kong (17.4, 2005),
(c) higher than China (13.9, 1999), Germany (13.0, 2004), Norway (11.6,        2005), Singapore (10.3, 2006), United Kingdom (6.8, 2005) and the Philippines (2.1, 1993).

See
List of countries by suicide rate
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate

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