Epidemiological study of registered deaths in Golestan province; In 2018

Identification of the pattern and causes of death and dealing with its etiological factors is one of the most fundamental principles of planning, management and evaluation, and accountability in the health sector. This study aimed to study and analyze one of the critical phenomena (i.e., death) in Golestan Province.

In this study, we used the secondary analysis method and collected data by the census. The statistical population included all cases of death registered at GDR of the deputy of the health of Golestan University of Medical Sciences in 2018. Death indicators were calculated using WinPepi version 11.65, and linear diagrams were drawn in Excel 2016. In addition, the relationship between various causes of death was assessed in SPSS version 23 using Chi-square.

In this study, the three leading causes of death were reported to be cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and external factors, respectively. In terms of gender, the death rate was 1.3 higher in men, compared to women. In addition, the highest percentage of death was related to the age range of more than 80 years. Moreover, the highest rate of specific causal damping and proportional damping was for diseases of the cardiovascular system and the lowest was related to mental and behavioral disorders. Furthermore, the highest specific causal and proportional damping rate were related to cardiovascular diseases, whereas the lowest rate was observed in cases with psychological and behavioral disorders.

In 2018, less than a quarter of the deceased was aged≤52 years, which may explain the high average age of the dead in the province. Continuous studies in determining the level of mortality, its effective causes, and awareness of epidemiological changes are necessary for more accurate planning, maintenance, and promotion of health in any society.