[Mortality of 1880-1980 generations in Switzerland: a rereading of evolution of mortality based on longitudinal data].

OBJECTIVES

Seek to explain the declining mortality rates observed in Switzerland using a different approach from conventional period analyses.

METHODS

Analysis of the mortality rates for cohorts born between 1880 and 1980 in Switzerland.

RESULTS

While the mortality transition was a constant feature of the 20th century, mortality receded most sharply among the 1900 to 1940 birth cohorts. Life expectancy gains were much lower for the pre-1900 cohorts, while early trends for the post-1940 cohorts point to a slowdown in the rate of mortality decline. These findings may be connected with the social and health conditions in which the different cohorts lived.

CONCLUSION

In contrast to the cross-sectional analysis, the longitudinal approach shows that the decline in mortality suddenly stops with the 1940 cohort.