# Educational Disparities in Preventable Deaths: Do They Explain the Longevity Gap Between Mexico and Spain?

## TL;DR

The study finds that reducing preventable deaths, especially among less-educated Mexicans, could significantly close the longevity gap between Mexico and Spain.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel approach to analyzing preventable mortality's impact on life expectancy disparities by educational level.

## Key findings

- Removing preventable deaths could add 3.4 years for low-educated Mexican males and 1.6 years for females.
- Preventable deaths account for a large portion of the life expectancy gap between Mexico and Spain.
- Higher-educated individuals in Mexico would benefit more from reducing preventable deaths than lower-educated ones.

## Abstract

Determine how preventable causes of death contribute to the life expectancy gap between Mexico and Spain.

We used a linear integral decomposition to analyze the impact of preventable mortality on life expectancy between ages 30-75 (temporary life expectancy) between Mexico and Spain in 2018. Additionally, we computed cause-deleted life tables to estimate potential gains in temporary life expectancy. Analyses were stratified by educational attainment, sex, and age.

Low-educated Mexicans showed the largest gains in temporary life expectancy from removing preventable deaths (3.4 years for males, 1.6 for females), partially explaining the gap with Spain. Removing these deaths would close the gap almost entirely due to a higher relative decrease for middle- and high-educated individuals.

While access to adequate healthcare is crucial for improving population health, appropriate non-medical public policies can significantly reduce mortality disparities between Mexico and Spain, especially for individuals from higher educational backgrounds.