Figure 1 Avoidable mortality disparity (Q5–Q1 age‐standardised expected years of life lost (SEYLL) rate difference per 100 00 population) for causes amenable to medical care, amenable to public health, from ischaemic heart disease and from other causes in urban Canada from 1971 to 1996. The reduction in Q5–Q1 SEYLL difference from 1971 to 1996 was significant for deaths amenable to medical care (p<0.001 for men and women), but not for deaths amenable to public health (p = 0.94 for men and p = 0.55 for women). The changes in SEYLL difference from 1971 to 1996 were significantly larger for deaths amenable to medical care than for deaths amenable to public health, for both men and women (p<0.001).