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Premature Deaths Among Men in a Swedish Municipality — Civil Status and Primary Health Care Utilization Prior to Death

Hans Hallberg, From the Developmental Unit, Kopparberg County Council, S-791 42 Falun, Address for correspondence: Dr Hans Hallberg, Kopparberg County Council, Kopparvägen 29 F, 79142 Falun, Sweden

Bengt Mattsson

Mariehems Primary Health Care Centre, University of Umeå, S-901 85 Umeå, Sweden

Causes of premature deaths among men in relation to civil status and primary health care utilization were studied in a Swedish municipality. Alcoholism, suicide and accidents (psycho-social deaths and accidents) were of special concern (40% of all deaths).

When principal and contributing causes of death were considered, alcoholism was registered in 21% of all men. Including information from primary health care records, the Social Services and the local outpatient alcohol clinic, the proportion of men with alcohol abuse was 40%. Half of the men with psychosocial deaths and accidents were divorced at the time of death. The time elapse between divorce and death was especially short for those who committed suicide, 1.4 years, compared to 9.5 years when death was due to alcohol. Half of the men who visited the primary health care centre six months before death were single, and the problem of the final antemortem visit anticipated the cause of death in the majority of these men.

Key Words: premature deaths • alcoholism • civil status • primary health care utilization.

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, Vol. 18, No. 3, 213-219 (1990)
DOI: 10.1177/140349489001800310


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