Inequalities in Mortality From Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis by the Level of Education in Lithuania

The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in inequalities in mortality from infectious diseases and tuberculosis by educational level among men and women in Lithuania.
Material and Methods. The data on mortality from infectious diseases in the Lithuanian population aged more than 30 years for the years 1989 and 2001 gathered from the Department of Statistics and censuses were used for the analysis. The relative and slope indices of inequality were calculated.
Results. Mortality from infectious diseases and tuberculosis among persons with primary education was higher than that among persons with university education, and these inequalities were found to be increased in 2000–2002 as compare with 1988–1990 due to declining mortality among persons with university education and increasing mortality among less educated persons. Similar tendencies were observed while evaluating the inequalities in mortality from tuberculosis. In 1988– 1990, the relative indices of inequality for mortality from all infectious diseases and tuberculosis among men were 9 and 13, respectively. In 2000–2002, the relative indices of inequality increased significantly to 16.5 and 28.8, respectively. Inequalities in mortality from abovementioned causes for women with different educational levels were lower than those for men. The slope indices of inequality for mortality from infectious diseases among men with different educational levels were considerably higher than among their female counterparts, and in 2000–2002, they were greater compared with 1988–1990.
Conclusions. While implementing tuberculosis prevention and control program and planning prevention and control measures, greater attention should be paid to less educated Lithuanian population at highest risk of this disease.