The use of age-period-cohort analysis to determine the impact of economic development on COPD mortality in Hong Kong

Abstract

Evaluation of: Chen J, Schooling CM, Johnston JM, Hedley AJ, McGhee SM. How does socioeconomic development affect COPD mortality? An age-period-cohort analysis from a recently transitioned population in China. PLoS ONE 6(9), e24348 (2011).

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. The rising trend in COPD-related mortality can be linked to aging populations and trends in risk factors possibly correlated with macroeconomic development. An age-period-cohort analysis of data on a recently developed economy, Hong Kong, is able to decompose sex-specific COPD mortality rates into age, period and birth-cohort effects to examine the possible impacts of defined macro-level events. The findings of this study corroborate the relationship between COPD incidence and an aging population, shows strong evidence for declining COPD mortality among generations raised in a more economically developed environment, but, possibly due to modeling limitations, only mixed results regarding the impact of changes in air quality.

Keywords::

• age-period-cohort analysis
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• COPD mortality
• Hong Kong
• socioeconomic development

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.