Associations between Area-Level Conditions, Socioeconomic Conditions, and Mortality: Do They Vary over the Life Course?

Eva U. B. Kibele, University of Groningen
Patrick Praeg, University of Groningen
Paul Norman, University of Leeds

Social factors affect people’s mortality at the individual and the area level. While previous research has shown that the effects of individual-level factors on mortality vary over the life course, age differences in the effects of area-level factors have not yet been extensively studied. We aim to investigate age patterns in individual- and area-level mortality inequalities simultaneously, thus exposing age differences in area-level influences on mortality net of population composition. The study is based on Dutch register data enriched with area-level information. Multilevel models for individuals living in Dutch small area units are estimated sex-specifically and by age groups. Our results show that mortality inequalities are less manifest at younger ages, individual-level mortality differences are prominent in midlife, and area-level deprivation is related to higher mortality at older ages. Our results aim to deepen the understanding of the multilevel nature of age-specific mortality inequalities and the identification of target groups for health policy interventions.