TABLE 1—
Educational Distribution, Mortality Rates, and Mortality Rate Ratios for Women by Country: United States and 7 European Countries, 1989–2003
| Education Levela | United States | Belgium | Denmark | Finland | France | Norway | Sweden | Switzerland |
| Percentage | ||||||||
| Low | 20 | 67 | 53 | 51 | 62 | 36 | 41 | 40 |
| Mid | 61 | 19 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 47 | 40 | 53 |
| High | 19 | 14 | 19 | 20 | 10 | 17 | 19 | 7 |
| Mortality rate per 100 000 person-yearsb (95% CI) | ||||||||
| Low | 1023 (988, 1059) | 801 (796, 806) | 1037 (1029, 1046) | 794 (788, 799) | 530 (515, 544) | 801 (794, 808) | 657 (653, 661) | 657 (652, 662) |
| Mid | 766 (745, 786) | 628 (615, 641) | 814 (800, 829) | 631 (621, 641) | 387 (362, 412) | 616 (609, 624) | 534 (529, 539) | 523 (518, 528) |
| High | 529 (495, 564) | 582 (567, 597) | 664 (646, 683) | 528 (516, 539) | 334 (293, 375) | 484 (471, 497) | 402 (395, 410) | 472 (457, 487) |
| Total | 806 (789, 823) | 766 (761, 770) | 960 (953, 966) | 733 (728, 737) | 490 (478, 502) | 695 (690, 700) | 587 (584, 590) | 589 (586, 593) |
| Rate ratio (95% CI) | ||||||||
| Low | 1.93 (1.80, 2.08) | 1.38 (1.34, 1.41) | 1.56 (1.52, 1.61) | 1.50 (1.47, 1.54) | 1.58 (1.40, 1.80) | 1.66 (1.61, 1.70) | 1.63 (1.60, 1.67) | 1.39 (1.35, 1.44) |
| Mid | 1.45 (1.35, 1.55) | 1.08 (1.04, 1.11) | 1.23 (1.19, 1.27) | 1.20 (1.17, 1.23) | 1.16 (1.01, 1.33) | 1.27 (1.24, 1.31) | 1.33 (1.30, 1.36) | 1.11 (1.07, 1.15) |
| High (Ref) | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Note. CI = confidence interval.
a
Low represents lower secondary or less education, mid represents upper secondary education, high represents tertiary or more education.
b
Rates have been directly standardized toward the US 1995 intercensal population (in deaths per 100 000 person-years).