-from Epidemiological Bulletin, Vol. 23 No. 3, September 2002-
This year, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) celebrates
a century of work towards coordinating efforts of the countries to improve health
in the most vulnerable populations of the Americas. In carrying out this effort,
one of the essential functions of the Organization during this period has been
the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information on health among the
Member States. As part of its constitutional mandates, PAHO prepares since 1954
a quadrennial report on the health situation and trends in the Americas. Since
1998, this report is published under the title of Health in the Americas.1
Its 2002 edition was presented in the previous issue of this Bulletin. This
publication contains PAHOs analysis of different public health aspects
of the population and the organized responses of the health sector. It accounts
for the advances in the health conditions of the countries, and documents existing
inequalities in the state of health and the access and use of health resources.
Beginning with this issue, a series of articles will be published in the Bulletin,
presenting a summary of the most relevant aspects of the health situation contained
in Health in the Americas. The present article summarizes the situation
and trends of the demographic changes, life expectancy at birth, and mortality
in the Americas in recent years.
Introduction
Demographic transition in a population refers to a process involving
the trends of mortality and fertility rates over time.2 As mortality starts
to decline and social and economic development occur, fertility is expected
to drop. In the last decades, reductions in the overall mortality and fertility
rates and population growth have been observed in the Americas, intensifying
the on-going demographic transition. The consequent aging of the population
in the presence of other important socio-demographic processes, such as migration
and urbanization, has generated specific and complex demands for social and
health goods and services. In addition, the majority of countries in the Americas
have experienced what has been called epidemiological polarization.3
This process is characterized by simultaneous and substantial impacts on the
populations mortality profile by both communicable and non-communicable
diseases and external causes. It is especially evident in the more susceptible
population groups such as the poor or elderly. The resulting pattern of mortality
magnifies the presence of significant health gaps between different social groups
and geographic areas within countries.4 Considering the complex dynamics of
the Regions demographic and health conditions in the Region, the aim of
the present article is to describe important markers of the demographic
transition process within the Americas, singling out the changes in relevant
indicators in recent years.
Data sources: This analysis is based on PAHOs core health data,
using countries from the American Region as geographic units. The countries
were grouped into eight sub-regions including North America, Mexico, Brazil,
the Latin Caribbean, Central America, the Andean Area, the Southern Cone and
the non-Latin Caribbean.4 Demographic data come from the United Nations Population
Division5, 6 and the US Census Bureaus International Program Center7.
Mortality data come from PAHO/WHOs regional database on mortality. The
data analysis includes the 19 countries for which data is available for 1980-2000.
These countries account for 91.3% of the entire population of the Americas in
2001 and include Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama,
Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Sates, and Venezuela.
Mortality rates were standardized by age and sex using the standard population
proposed by the World Health Organization.8, 9
Demographic Situation
Population growth: The estimated population in the Americas in 2002
was 854 million (Table 1). The annual average population growth
rate in the Region in 1996-2002 was 1.3%, with variations between 0.7% in the
non-Latin Caribbean and 2.4% in Central America. In almost all the countries
the rate is declining slowly. However, projections indicate that the population
of the Americas will continue to grow and some 200 million people will be added
between 2000 and 2020.
Urbanization: The population of the Americas is relatively highly urbanized,
particularly in the more industrialized countries (Table 1).
In 2002, it was estimated that 76.6% of the Regions population lived in
cities, compared to 41% in 1950. It should be noted, however, that currently
the process of urbanization is occurring more rapidly in the less industrialized
countries. The difference between the growth rate of the urban and the rural
populations among the subregions was highest in Brazil with 3.4%, followed by
the Andean Area with 2.3% and Latin Caribbean with 2.2%, indicating a faster
urbanization process there than in other subregions. Approximately half of the
largest cities in the Americas are in Latin America. Some 160 million people
live in the 20 largest cities, 55 million of them in the largest metropolitan
areas of Mexico City, Sao Paulo and New York.
Table 1: Demographic and mortality indicators for
the Americas, by Subregion, 1996-2002
|
||||||||||
Sub-region
|
||||||||||
Indicators |
Year/period
|
Andean Area
|
Brazil
|
Latin Caribbean
|
Non-latin Caribbean
|
Southern Cone
|
Central America
|
Mexico
|
North America
|
Total
|
Population (in thousands) |
2002
|
116,927.9
|
174,706.1
|
32,299.4
|
7,736.8
|
62,696.6
|
37,971.4
|
101,842.4
|
319,861.8
|
854,042.3
|
Population growth rate (%) |
1996-2002
|
1.8
|
1.3
|
1.1
|
0.7
|
1.3
|
2.4
|
1.6
|
1.0
|
1.3
|
Urban percentage |
1996
|
72.8
|
79.0
|
84.7
|
61.0
|
61.5
|
46.3
|
73.6
|
76.4
|
74.8
|
2002
|
75.5
|
82.2
|
86.4
|
63.1
|
64.3
|
48.7
|
74.8
|
77.7
|
76.6
|
|
Annual urban growth rate (%) |
1996-2002
|
2.4
|
2.0
|
1.7
|
1.7
|
1.5
|
3.3
|
1.8
|
1.3
|
1.7
|
Annual rural growth rate |
1996-2002
|
0.1
|
-1.5
|
-0.5
|
0.1
|
-0.5
|
1.6
|
0.8
|
0.1
|
0.0
|
Urbanization rate (%) |
1996-2002
|
2.3
|
3.4
|
2.2
|
1.5
|
2.0
|
1.7
|
1.0
|
1.2
|
1.7
|
Births (in thousands) |
2002
|
2,733.1
|
3,373.7
|
653.9
|
140.6
|
1,242.8
|
1,120.6
|
2,273.2
|
4,135.8
|
15,673.6
|
Birth rate (per 1.000 pop.) |
1996
|
26.2
|
20.7
|
21.7
|
19.9
|
21.1
|
32.5
|
25.1
|
14.5
|
20.2
|
2002
|
23.4
|
19.2
|
20.2
|
18.2
|
19.8
|
29.5
|
22.2
|
12.9
|
18.4
|
|
Total fertility rate (children/woman) |
1996
|
3.1
|
2.3
|
2.7
|
2.3
|
2.7
|
4.1
|
2.8
|
2.0
|
2.5
|
2002
|
2.8
|
2.2
|
2.5
|
2.1
|
2.5
|
3.6
|
2.5
|
1.9
|
2.3
|
|
Ratio of adults to elderly persons* |
1996
|
13.8
|
13.3
|
9.6
|
9.0
|
7.3
|
14.4
|
13.9
|
5.3
|
9.8
|
2002
|
13.0
|
12.4
|
9.2
|
9.1
|
7.2
|
13.9
|
12.8
|
5.4
|
9.5
|
|
Life expectancy at birth (years) |
1996
|
69.2
|
66.9
|
67.3
|
73.0
|
73.0
|
67.6
|
72.0
|
76.5
|
72.0
|
2002
|
70.9
|
68.3
|
67.8
|
73.9
|
74.1
|
68.9
|
73.0
|
77.7
|
73.2
|
|
Mortality rate (per 1,000 pop.) |
1996
|
6.1
|
7.1
|
8.6
|
6.4
|
7.3
|
6.4
|
5.1
|
8.5
|
7.3
|
2002
|
6.1
|
7.0
|
8.7
|
6.4
|
7.2
|
6.0
|
5.1
|
8.3
|
7.2
|
|
Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) |
1996
|
37.8
|
43.1
|
41.4
|
23.7
|
22.2
|
38.1
|
31.6
|
7.6
|
28.5
|
2002
|
31.5
|
38.3
|
37.8
|
21.3
|
20.1
|
32.8
|
28.2
|
6.7
|
25.3
|
Birth and fertility: There were an estimated 15.7 million births in the
Americas in 2002, about 74% from Latin America and the Caribbean (Table 1).
Birth rates are expected to continue declining in the Region, as has already
occurred over the past 40 years. In the 1960s, the birth rate in the Americas
was 32.5 per 1,000 population, while in 2002 it was estimated to be 18.4 per
1,000. Similarly, a reduction in the fertility rates was also observed, with
a decline from 3.1 children per woman in 1980-1985 to 2.3 in 2002. In this period,
total fertility rates declined in all sub-regions, but more markedly in Brazil,
Central America, the Andean Area and Mexico.
Aging and life expectancy at birth: Between 1996 and 2002, the ratio
of persons in the 15-64 year-old age group to the population aged 65 and over
decreased in the Americas and in all sub-regions, except in North America and
the non-Latin Caribbean. However, this indicator remains high in several areas,
especially in Central America, the Andean Area, Mexico and Brazil, with values
higher than 12:1 (Table 1). Life expectancy at birth (LEB)
in the Americas was estimated to be 73.2 years in 2002. This figure is increasing
at different rates in all the subregions. Within the Region, the LEB estimate
was 77.7 years for North America, with all the other sub-regions lagging 3.6
to 10 years behind. On average, this indicator for women in the Region is approximately
6.3 years longer than for men, with this difference varying from a low of 5.5
years in the Caribbean to a high of 8 years in Brazil.
Mortality indicators
Overall mortality: It was estimated that the mortality rate in 2002
in the Americas will be 7.2 per 1.000 population (Table 1).
In the last two decades of the 20th century, the Region has seen a reduction
of about 25% in the mortality rate. This indicator varies little between sub-regions,
with rates ranging from 5.1 in Mexico to 8.7 in the Latin Caribbean.
Infant mortality: The infant mortality rate (IMR) in the Americas is estimated to be around 25.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2002, which indicates that a total of 400,000 children in the Region will die before their first birthday (Table 1). However, in 10 years the IMR decreased by almost one-third, from 36.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1980-1985. The greatest improvement occurred in Central America, Brazil, and the Latin Caribbean, with reductions of 45%, 34%, and 30% respectively. Since the expected rate of decline is similar in all countries, the subregions that have higher IMR are expected to experience greater absolute declines. The IMR continued to decrease from 1996 to 2002 in all American sub-regions (Table 1). The vast majority of the countries have lowered their IMR for both sexes.
Mortality by broad groups of causes:
Communicable diseases: Among the countries selected for analysis, the
greatest decline in cause-specific mortality occurred in communicable diseases,
from 95 per 100,000 population in 1980 to 57 per 100,000 in 2000. In the early
1980s, the mortality rate for communicable diseases varied from 12.9 per 100,000
population for females in Canada to 282.4 per 100,000 for males in Ecuador.
By the end of the 1990s, the variation in this data ranged from 12.6 per 100,000
for females in Canada to 151.7 per 100,000 for males in El Salvador (Table
2). Marked reductions in mortality from communicable diseases occurred in
almost all countries analyzed, except in Barbados, Canada, the United States,
and Puerto Rico where rates were lowest (Graph
1). This increase was more likely the result of AIDS among young adults,
particularly in males.
Chronic diseases and external causes of deaths:
Neoplasms: Between the early 1980s and the end of the 1990s,
there was an overall decrease in the mortality rates due to neoplasms in most
of the countries analyzed, except for Barbados, Ecuador, Mexico, and Trinidad
and Tobago for both sexes, and Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and
Paraguay for males only. Among the countries analyzed, at the end of 1990s mortality
rates due to neoplasms ranged between 69.2 for females in Puerto Rico to 171.6
for males in Barbados (Table 2).
Diseases of the circulatory system: In the Region, the greatest risk of dying continues to be due to diseases of the circulatory system with 214 deaths per 100,000 population, a rate almost twice as high as for neoplasms and 4 times greater than external causes. However, at the end of 1990s mortality rates from this group of diseases also decreased in all countries for both sexes, ranging between 94.7 for females in Canada to 375.2 for males in Brazil (Table 2). In addition, the magnitude of reduction varied from a low of 0.2% for men in Paraguay to a high of 52.8% for men in El Salvador.
External causes: Similarly, in many countries there was
also a reduction in mortality rates from external causes for both sexes. The
exceptions were for men in Brazil with 5.7% , Colombia with 9.4%, Costa Rica
with 3.2%, and Puerto Rico with 4.3% and for women in Costa Rica at 2.1%, Paraguay
at 17.7%, and Puerto Rico at 4.3%, where rates increased. The mortality rates
from external causes at the end of the 1990s ranged from 4.2 for females
in Jamaica to 207.3 for males in Colombia among the countries analyzed (Table
2).
Table 2: Estimated mortality rates (per 100,000 population)
adjusted for age, by broad groups of causes, selected countries of the
Americas, end of 1990s
|
||||||||||||
Communicable diseases
|
Neoplasms
|
|
Perinatal conditions
|
External causes
|
All other causes
|
|||||||
Country
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
F
|
M
|
Argentina |
36.2
|
57.5
|
99.2
|
153.6
|
153.4
|
274.8
|
22.7
|
29.6
|
23.5
|
77.7
|
96.3
|
165.1
|
Barbados |
41.2
|
100.7
|
121.8
|
171.6
|
220.2
|
266.7
|
13.7
|
16.5
|
14.9
|
55.4
|
159.4
|
206.7
|
Brazil |
75.1
|
122.3
|
101.2
|
155.9
|
245.0
|
375.2
|
49.4
|
64.3
|
30.9
|
139.8
|
165.8
|
264.8
|
Canada |
12.6
|
26.3
|
107.3
|
163.8
|
94.7
|
182.4
|
6.2
|
7.9
|
19.4
|
55.5
|
66.1
|
104.8
|
Chile |
51.1
|
94.8
|
115.3
|
160.9
|
118.5
|
202.1
|
8.7
|
10.9
|
23.1
|
107.0
|
102.5
|
172.7
|
Colombia |
52.7
|
74.2
|
107.0
|
127.5
|
221.4
|
290.3
|
28.0
|
35.6
|
35.2
|
207.3
|
132.9
|
167.5
|
Costa Rica |
27.9
|
48.0
|
108.0
|
138.1
|
148.8
|
208.8
|
15.5
|
19.1
|
24.1
|
88.9
|
118.1
|
148.6
|
Cuba |
30.3
|
44.5
|
95.1
|
131.8
|
169.3
|
228.9
|
6.0
|
8.8
|
36.4
|
85.8
|
84.6
|
101.9
|
Dominican Republic |
64.3
|
89.9
|
73.3
|
99.5
|
214.0
|
267.5
|
52.7
|
60.3
|
21.8
|
66.9
|
126.7
|
161.0
|
Ecuador |
87.1
|
118.2
|
117.2
|
116.9
|
159.8
|
211.1
|
29.4
|
37.1
|
32.6
|
134.5
|
165.2
|
215.5
|
El Salvador |
109.7
|
151.7
|
108.6
|
80.8
|
145.9
|
158.3
|
23.8
|
29.5
|
39.5
|
199.0
|
188.4
|
307.0
|
Jamaica |
39.7
|
51.3
|
127.3
|
162.3
|
279.0
|
315.2
|
15.1
|
16.6
|
4.2
|
14.1
|
176.5
|
216.8
|
Mexico |
47.7
|
70.7
|
83.0
|
93.6
|
145.9
|
186.5
|
27.1
|
35.7
|
24.9
|
107.3
|
218.5
|
308.4
|
Panama |
41.5
|
75.3
|
90.2
|
105.6
|
140.0
|
188.6
|
24.5
|
29.6
|
24.3
|
96.6
|
128.3
|
166.3
|
Paraguay |
94.9
|
122.6
|
80.6
|
82.3
|
250.1
|
307.9
|
37.0
|
46.9
|
27.4
|
87.2
|
115.0
|
137.7
|
Puerto Rico |
37.7
|
82.7
|
69.2
|
115.0
|
116.4
|
192.4
|
14.4
|
16.6
|
18.8
|
112.3
|
130.2
|
216.1
|
Trinidad and Tobago |
43.4
|
84.2
|
103.5
|
124.6
|
280.0
|
364.4
|
35.5
|
46.9
|
23.9
|
79.9
|
220.3
|
291.8
|
United States |
22.0
|
38.2
|
108.9
|
155.0
|
136.1
|
223.1
|
7.9
|
10.5
|
25.2
|
70.2
|
87.6
|
119.4
|
Venezuela |
55.1
|
81.2
|
99.7
|
110.8
|
185.1
|
261.2
|
29.6
|
38.1
|
26.7
|
124.6
|
121.4
|
154.1
|
Concluding remarks
During the latter part of the 20th century, advances in the demographic
transition occurred in the Americas, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This process began with an important decline in infant mortality rates and in
mortality rates due to communicable diseases. Since 1980, most of the countries
have halved their mortality rates from communicable diseases among children
under 1 year of age. In addition, besides reductions of mortality rates, especially
among younger age groups, for most of the countries of the Americas several
factors might have moved this demographic transition forward. These factors
include contraception policies, increase of education level, accelerated urbanization,
and economic modernization, among others. In particular, the growth of urbanization
in the Americas three quarters of the total population now live in cities
has had important health implications associated on the one hand with
the risk factors related to urban settings, and on the other hand with the possible
increase in the access to goods and services.
A decline in fertility rates followed and modified these events. An estimated
average fertility rate of 3.1 children per woman in 1980-1985 decreased to an
estimate of 2.3 children per woman in 2002. These changes in the populations
demographic and mortality profiles, especially the declining fertility rates,
have changed the overall age composition of the Regions population, contributing
to a longer life expectancy at birth and to the aging of the general population.
As the population ages, a new pattern of health services needs and use presents
a challenge for the health system.
Although the overall trends of demographic and mortality indicators are described
in this article, different degrees of demographic transition can be seen in
the American Region. There are countries or territories in more advanced stages
of demographic transition, such as Canada, Martinique, Aruba, Montserrat, Bermuda,
Barbados, the United States, Cuba and Anguilla, where life expectancies at birth
are higher than 76.0 years and fertility rates are lower than 2.0 children per
woman. At the same time, there are countries with high fertility rates (>3.5
children per woman) in the presence of low life expectancy at birth (<66.0
years), such as Haiti, Bolivia and Guatemala. To understand the several demographic
transitions that take place within each sub-region in the America, detailed
heath analysis is necessary, including the study of cause-specific mortality
rates and trends as well as age, gender and social group differences. Some of
these approaches will be the subject of additional reports.
References:
(1) Pan American Health Organization. Health in the Americas: 2002 Edition.
Volume 1. Washington, DC:PAHO, 2002.
(2) Pan American Health Organization. Assessment of the 1980-1998 Health Situation
and Trends in the Americas, por Subregión. Epidemiological Bulletin 20(1):2-10;
1999.
(3) Pan American Health Organization. Health Situation Analysis in the Americas,
1999-2000. Epidemiological Bulletin 21(4):1-3; 2000.
(4) Pan American Health Organization, Special Program for Health Analysis. Health
Situation in the Americas. Basic Indicators 2000. Washington, DC: PAHO; 2000.
(PAHO/SHA/00.01).
(5) United Nations. World population prospects: the 2000 revision. New York:
UN Population Division; 2001.
(6) United Nations. World population prospects: the 1999 revision. New York:
UN Population Division; 2000.
(7) US Census Bureau, International Program Center. International Data Base
(IDB). Washington, DC: US Census Bureau; 2000.
(8) Waterhouse J, et al. [eds]. Cancer incidence in five continents. International
Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC); Lyon, 1976 (Vol. 3, p.456). In: World
Health Organization. World Health Statistics Annual 1995. Geneva: WHO; 1996.
(9) Xunta de Galicia, Consellería de Sanidade e Servicios Sociais. Pan
American Health Organization, Special Program for Health Analysis. Análisis
Epidemiológico de Datos Tabulados (Epidat), Version 2.1 [Computer software
for Windows]; 1998
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Epidemiological Bulletin, Vol. 23 No. 3, September
2002