Regional mortality by socioeconomic factors in Slovakia: a comparison of 15 years of changes

Background: Like most Central European countries Slovakia has experienced a period of socioeconomic changes and at the same time a decline in the mortality rate. Therefore, the aim is to study socioeconomic factors that changed over time and simultaneously contributed to regional differences in mortality.

Methods: The associations between selected socioeconomic indicators and the standardised mortality rate in the population aged 20-64 years in the districts of the Slovak Republic in the periods 1997-1998 and 2012-2013 were analysed using linear regression models.

Results: A higher proportion of inhabitants in material need, and among males also lower income, significantly contributed to higher standardised mortality in both periods. The unemployment rate did not contribute to this prediction. Between the two periods no significant changes in regional mortality differences by the selected socioeconomic factors were found.

Conclusions: Despite the fact that economic growth combined with investments of European structural funds contributed to the improvement of the socioeconomic situation in many districts of Slovakia, there are still districts which remain "poor" and which maintain regional mortality differences.