Comparative Trends in Mortality by Cause of Death in France and in Quebec: The French connection?

Robert R. Bourbeau, Université de Montréal
Aurélie Mons, Université Marc Bloch, Strasbourg

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the recent trends in mortality by cause of death in France and in Quebec, focussing on the similarities and disparities between the two french regions. Differences in life expectancy are analysed using a decomposition method assessing the role of the various age groups and main causes of death. For females, French lower mortality is mainly due to cardiovascular diseases.Contribution of cancer remains weak with regard to the other causes, except for lung cancer which is unfavourable to French women. Among men, life expectancy is lower in France, mainly because of a higher mortality by cancer, in particular by tumors of the oesophagus, lips and pharynx, and to a lesser extent of the liver and stomach, between 40 and 74 years.