Estimating local mortality tables for small areas: An application using Belgian sub-arrondissements

Standardised mortality ratios (SMR) may give a good estimate of the relative level of mortality in a local area, and its relation to local social conditions, but if we wish to understand changes in the age distribution of mortality as mortality declines, we need an estimate of the local mortality curve. Such fine detail can be elusive when examining small populations for which the number of people in each age group is small, the number of deaths minuscule, and estimation errors are large. A possible solution to this problem is to estimate age-specific mortality rates simultaneously for all the... Mehr ...