Applying Mortality Trajectory Analysis to Address the Epidemiologic Transition in Oceania

Abstract

Khedhiri’s1 recent longitudinal cluster analysis of mortality trajectory patterns in the Middle East and North Africa region provides a methodological framework for regions facing similar structural health crises. Although they are geographically distinct, Oceania and the Middle East and North Africa region share an epidemiological analogy. Both regions are undergoing rapid transitions in which surges in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) exist alongside persistent, localized pockets of communicable diseases.