Education and employment status with respect to cardiovascular mortality in Croatia over a ten-year period

Introduction
This paper analyzes data on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in Croatia in the period of 2000-2009. with an aim to ascertain whether Croatia is experiencing inequalities in CVD mortality according to education and employment status.

Methods
For the purpose of analysis of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) mortality, data were used from the Croatian National Institute of Public Health database between 2000 and 2009. For every case of death, data on age, sex, ICD-10 coded cause of death (IHD-ischemic heart diseases: codes I20 - I25; cerebrovascular diseases: I60-I69), education and employment status of the deceased were processed. The data was analyzed using EpiInfo3.3 program support.

Results
According to years of schooling, the largest share of CVD deaths (53.6%) were related to persons who had received eight or less years of schooling, 21% had 9-12 years, while 3.3% 12 or more years. Given the employment status in deaths due to cerebrovascular diseases and IHD the most numerous group were pensioners (74.9% for cerebrovascular diseases and 77.3% for IHD), followed by housewives with (15.0% for cerebrovascular diseases and 13.0% for IHD). In men, the employed group took the second place (7.9% for cerebrovascular diseases; 11.8% for IHD), as did housewives in women (25.8% for cerebrovascular diseases; 24.8% for IHD).

Discussion
An analysis of the level of education showed that the share of deaths has dropped in inverse proportion to the length of schooling. The present study has shown that unemployment is a risk factor for both IHD and cerebrovascular diseases. High incidence of deaths among pensioners of the occupationally active age is partly a reflection of retirement for health reasons, but an early retirement often has a variety of other reasons, including business problems of the firms where they were working, which could cause premature retirement and additional stress.