Death in 12–24-Year-Old Youth in Nova Scotia: High Risk of Preventable Deaths for Males, Socially Deprived and Rural Populations—A Report from the NSYOUTHS Program

Deaths from avoidable causes represent the largest component of deaths in young people in Canada and have a considerable social cost in relation to years of potential life lost. We evaluated social and demographic determinants of deaths in youth aged 12–24 years in Nova Scotia for the period 1995–2004. Youth most at risk of death were males, the more socially deprived, and those living in rural areas. There was a five-fold increase in suicides and a three-fold increase in injury deaths in males compared to females and a substantial component of these deaths were amongst males living in rural areas. Initiatives and prevention policies should be targeted towards specific at-risk groups, particularly males living in rural areas. Published vital statistics hide these important trends and thus provide only limited evidence with which to base-prevention initiatives. 1. Introduction Youth is the developmental period encompassing the ages of 12 to 24 years. This is a period characterized by significant physical and emotional maturation during which individuals undergo many developmental changes as they mature into adults. Youth are neither children nor small adults and because there is no easily recognisable age standard to define this transition period, youth health needs often remain hidden by the use of routinely available data [1]. The presentation of health statistics by broad age categorisations can hide important trends associated with the dynamic and changeable nature of youth health. Our definition of youth includes ages at the upper and lower extremes of the youth age range. For the purpose of presenting health statistics, individuals at these ages are often subsumed into broad age categories and consequently defined as either children or adults. By presenting data disaggregated by age we avoid the issues associated with these broad definitions. The NSYOUTHS (Nova Scotia Youth Outcome and Utilization of the Health System) database provides an evidence base for understanding the complex interactions that determine youth health and wellbeing. It is a multifaceted population study examining multiple aspects of youth health experience and health care, including health service utilization, transition from pediatric to adult care, and variations in mortality. Understanding the unique health needs and experiences of youth and the factors that affect their health has the potential to lead to significant innovations in the planning and delivery of health and other services to this population. Research findings from the NSYOUTHS project will support the