Determinants of sex differentials in mortality: an assessment of household-level factors in South Africa

  • Pierre Dindi University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
  • Nicole De Wet University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Keywords: South Africa, mortality, longevity, logistic regression, households

Abstract

Background: Increasingly high male mortality hinders progress towards improving overall life expectancy.Data Source & Method: The study used data from South Africa’s 2016 Community Survey to examine the household-level determinants of male mortality. Chi square tests and binary logistic regression were used.Results: Out of the 30,022 deaths in the sample, males comprised 52.8%. Male deaths were high at all ages except for age group 75+ years. Odds of male mortality were higher (OR:2.08; CI:1.98-2.18) among those that lived in female headed households or White-headed households (OR:1.50;CI:1.29-1.73). There was less likelihood of male deaths (OR:0.91;CI:0.87-0.97) in households that were not involved in agriculture.Conclusion: Overall, mortality differentials were largely explained by household demographics including age, race and gender dynamics of heads of households. We recommend a multi-sectoral policy and programme implementation that promotes deliberate inclusiveness of household characteristics in their delivery.

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Author Biographies

Pierre Dindi, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Demography and Population studies, School of Social Sciences and Public Health
Nicole De Wet, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Demography and Population studies, School of Social Sciences and Public Health
Published
2019-03-15
Section
Articles