Inequalities in life expectancy at birth: descriptive trends by urbanicity and deprivation in British Columbia, Canada, 2001–2023

Abstract

Life Expectancy at birth (LE) in British Columbia (BC) has been increasing but disparities exist among various populations. This study describes trends in LE inequalities by urbanicity and by material and social deprivation among females and males in BC from 2001 to 2023. Additional considerations were made with recent public health emergencies: Illicit Drug Toxicity Crisis and COVID-19 pandemic. We linked two administrative records. BC Vital Statistics Registry provided information about all deaths among residents in BC. The mandatory Provincial health insurance program provided mid-year annual population estimates, used as the denominator in analyses. We employed the Chiang method to construct period life tables and annual LE estimates. LE was described by sex across categories of urbanicity, material deprivation, and social deprivation, separately. While LE has increased over time, it also diverged by sex, urbanicity, material deprivation and social deprivation. Significant declines in LE occurred with the public health emergencies, but LE increases were observed soon after. Greatest disparities occurred with rural areas, and most deprived populations, especially among males. Geographic location is an important factor in public health planning, as it provides information on where additional efforts are needed. However, identifying underlying factors (e.g., deprivation) contributing to health disparities may also be beneficial to reduce LE inequalities.