Causes and rate of death in population covered by Birjand University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Introduction : The death index and cause of mortality are considered as tools for measuring access to health service and assessing the efficiency of health systems in the contemporary communities. The aim of this study was to investigate the rate and causes of mortality in the population covered by Birjand University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed in Birjand, Iran. All recorded cases of mortality in this region during 2018 were included in the study. The data were obtained from death recording system. The SPSS software was applied to analyze the data. In this regard, the descriptive statistics and analytical tests were used. The significant level was set at 0.05. Results: The results indicated that 3699 cases of death had been recorded in the studied population in 2018. The raw mortality rate in the study region was found to be 4.79 cases in one thousand individuals. The average age of death in the population was 66.74 years old. This was 64.73 years in males and 69.08 years in females. Data analysis showed that cardiovascular (40.38%), cancer (13.52%), and respiratory (12.98%) diseases accounted for the highest number of mortality. Conclusion: Three common causes of mortality were found to be cardiovascular, cancer, and respiratory diseases. The appropriate interventions in life style and food habits and controlling risk factors such as smoking, fatness, and stress could help to prevent many premature deaths.