Demographic and Geographical Pattern of Mortality Rate from Stomach Cancer and Related Factors in Mazandaran Province From 2001 to 2005

Background and purpose Stomach cancer is the 2nd cause of mortality in the world and one of the most important causes of mortality in Mazandaran Province. Therefore, this study was designed to explain geographical and demographic patterns of mortality caused by stomach cancer in Mazandaran province and to identify the high-risk areas. Â descriptive study was conducted between the years 2001 and 2005. Through this study, 1663 deaths from stomach cancer were registered in Mazandaran Health Çenters. Demographic and geographical data including age, gender and residential location of the Patients’ were collected and analyzed using descriptive methods and Poisson regression, using WÏN BÜGS statistical package. Ôf the 1663 registered deaths, 1210 cases (72.8%) were males and 453 (27.8%) were females. Descriptive statistics demonstrated that the mean age for males was 66 years and for females was 69.9 years. Ünivariate analysis indicated that the incidence of stomach cancer is higher in rural areas compared with urban areas (P<0.05).Çonclusion: The results demonstrated that the mortality rate due to stomach cancer is higher in individuals with more that 50 years of age. Ït can also be said that the mortality rate in males is twice as much as in females and more common in rural areas compared with urban areas.