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New Report Points the Way to Better Health, Increased Equality for Peru

Identifies remarkable progress, but also important gaps

(Lima, Peru) –  Vital Strategies congratulates Peru on the publication of a new national report “Analysis of the Causes of Mortality in Peru 1986-2015.” In addition to reporting public health data in new levels of detail, for the first time Peru has published a 30-year trend analysis on the country’s causes of mortality.

“Felicidades Peru. This report is an important window into understanding public health progress over the last three decades, and for identifying opportunities for further health advancements,” said Cynthia Driver, Senior Technical Advisor, Vital Strategies Data Impact Program. “The insights generated in this report should lead to more strategic investments, and that means further health gains for Peruvians. Vital Strategies is proud to support this effort and we hope other countries similarly invest in analyzing health data and producing sophisticated reports like this.”

The focus of the report is to identify inequalities in causes of death and allow comparison of different groups, such as those living in rural vs. urban areas, under varying economic conditions and in specific geographic areas.  This information can be used for prioritizing health issues and identifying where and to whom to target interventions. For the first time, the analysis includes a historical series of 30 years to allow an understanding of the trends in the country’s causes of mortality. For instance, the report found that mortality decreased by 43% between 1986 and 2015, but that this remarkable gain in health has been unevenly distributed, with smaller gains among people living in rural areas and in the Coast region. Similarly, while the national rate of mortality from cancer has remained relatively constant to other disease groups, this masks inequity – there has been a significant decrease in cancer mortality among urban groups and an increase in rural groups.

This report is expected to become an essential source of evidence for decision-making policymakers in the health sector, as well as for regional governments, authorities, researchers, and international cooperating agencies.

The Ministry of Health in Peru is a leader in providing information on the health of the population through its National Center for Epidemiology, Disease Prevention and Control, as well as the Office of Information Technology and the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics. The Vital Strategies Data Impact team, working as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative, provided technical assistance to the Ministry of Health to produce the report. The Data Impact Program works to improve public health decision-making in government through assisting and training staff in leading methods of data analysis and presentation.

A link to the “Analysis of the Causes of Mortality in Peru 1986-2015” report can be found here: https://www.vitalstrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Analysis_Causes_Mortality_Peru.pdf

About Vital Strategies

Vital Strategies is a global health organization working so that every person is protected by a strong public health system. Our programs reach into 73 countries and help prevent death and illness from noncommunicable disease; reduce harm caused by environmental factors; and support cities as engines for public health. We consult with governments on issues including restricting junk food marketing to kids, promoting smoke-free laws, improving indoor and outdoor air quality, and strengthening road safety. These are protections that add up to millions of lives saved. Our team combines evidence-based strategies with innovation to help develop and implement sound public health policies, manage programs efficiently, strengthen data systems, conduct research, and design strategic communication campaigns for policy and behavior change. To find out more, please visit vstrategystage.wpengine.com or Twitter @VitalStrat.

For further information or to arrange an interview with a public health expert, please contact press@vitalstrategies.org