Scholarlink

Background <p>The COVID-19 pandemic altered mortality patterns worldwide, raising questions about its direct and indirect effects on population health. Assessing these impacts requires approaches that go beyond registered COVID-19 deaths and capture both excess and premature mortality. This study quantified excess mortality and years of life lost (YLL) due to COVID-19 in Serbia and examined variation across sociodemographic groups.</p> Methods <p>We analyzed national all-cause mortality data from 2010 to 2023 and individual-level COVID-19 deaths from 2020 to 2022. Expected mortality was estimated using generalized additive models fitted to pre-pandemic data, allowing estimation of age-, sex-, and cause-specific excess mortality. Individual-level regression analyses were conducted to examine sociodemographic differences across epidemic periods and in age at death.</p> Results <p>Between 2020 and 2022, Serbia experienced 53,970 excess deaths, corresponding to a 17.5% increase compared to expected mortality, with the highest burden observed in 2021. Registered COVID-19 deaths accounted for 46,374 deaths and were associated with 560,266 YLL over the study period. Excess mortality was higher among older women, whereas deaths before age 65, particularly among men, contributed disproportionately to total YLL. Lower educational attainment and non-urban residence were associated with differences in the distribution of deaths across epidemic periods and in age at death among COVID-19 decedents.</p> Conclusion <p>The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a substantial mortality burden in Serbia, exceeding registered COVID-19 deaths and revealing marked premature mortality. Excess deaths were concentrated among older populations, while the premature mortality burden was higher among men. Differences were also observed in the distribution of deaths across epidemic periods and in age at death across educational and residential groups.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Uncovering the social vulnerabilities behind excess and premature mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Serbia

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月29日

查看全文
  • Aleksandar Stevanović,
  • Nikola Grubor,
  • Nina Rajović,
  • Gordana Bjelobrk,
  • Nataša Milić,
  • Milena Šantrić-Milićević

摘要

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic altered mortality patterns worldwide, raising questions about its direct and indirect effects on population health. Assessing these impacts requires approaches that go beyond registered COVID-19 deaths and capture both excess and premature mortality. This study quantified excess mortality and years of life lost (YLL) due to COVID-19 in Serbia and examined variation across sociodemographic groups.

Methods

We analyzed national all-cause mortality data from 2010 to 2023 and individual-level COVID-19 deaths from 2020 to 2022. Expected mortality was estimated using generalized additive models fitted to pre-pandemic data, allowing estimation of age-, sex-, and cause-specific excess mortality. Individual-level regression analyses were conducted to examine sociodemographic differences across epidemic periods and in age at death.

Results

Between 2020 and 2022, Serbia experienced 53,970 excess deaths, corresponding to a 17.5% increase compared to expected mortality, with the highest burden observed in 2021. Registered COVID-19 deaths accounted for 46,374 deaths and were associated with 560,266 YLL over the study period. Excess mortality was higher among older women, whereas deaths before age 65, particularly among men, contributed disproportionately to total YLL. Lower educational attainment and non-urban residence were associated with differences in the distribution of deaths across epidemic periods and in age at death among COVID-19 decedents.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a substantial mortality burden in Serbia, exceeding registered COVID-19 deaths and revealing marked premature mortality. Excess deaths were concentrated among older populations, while the premature mortality burden was higher among men. Differences were also observed in the distribution of deaths across epidemic periods and in age at death across educational and residential groups.