Articles: mortality.
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Age-standardized comparisons of mortality rates from four causes in 14 Aboriginal reserves and communities in Queensland were examined. The 14 reserves were allocated to two groups within 10 socioenvironmental variables. The findings point to an association between Queensland government Aboriginal policy, the administration of reserves, and the consequent mortality rates of the residents of these reserves.
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Social science & medicine · Jan 1983
ReviewSex differences in human mortality: the role of genetic factors.
This paper reviews evidence concerning genetic factors that influence sex differences in human mortality, with attention to the interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Some widely quoted earlier conclusions, for example, that males have consistently higher fetal mortality than females, are not supported by current evidence. For example, for late fetal mortality, males had higher rates than females in earlier historical data, but not in recent data for several advanced industrial countries. ⋯ For both violent deaths and ischemic heart disease it appears that any genetic contributions to sex differences in mortality are strongly reinforced by the cultural influences that foster more risky behavior in males, including more use of weapons, employment in hazardous occupations, heavy alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. It appears that these cultural influences on sex differences in behavior are widespread cross-culturally in part because of the effects of inherent sex differences in reproductive functions on the cultural evolution of sex roles. These examples illustrate the complexity and importance of interactions between genetic and environmental factors in determining sex differences in human mortality.