A Bayesian model for age at death with cohort effects

BACKGROUND: Ongoing mortality trends affect the distribution of age at death, typically described by parametric models. Cohort effects can markedly perturb the distribution and reduce the fit of such models, and this needs to be specifically taken into account. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the int...

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Main Authors: Matteo Dimai, Marek Brabec
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research 2024-10-01
Series:Demographic Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.demographic-research.org/articles/volume/51/33
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author Matteo Dimai
Marek Brabec
author_facet Matteo Dimai
Marek Brabec
author_sort Matteo Dimai
collection DOAJ
description BACKGROUND: Ongoing mortality trends affect the distribution of age at death, typically described by parametric models. Cohort effects can markedly perturb the distribution and reduce the fit of such models, and this needs to be specifically taken into account. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the integration of cohort effects in a three-component parametric model for the age-at-death distribution, applying it to data with significant cohort effects. METHODS: We employed a mixture model with a half-normal and two skew-normal components, adapted to a Bayesian framework to include multiplicative cohort effects. The model was applied to data from five Italian regions, with cohort effects estimated for the 1915–1925 cohorts. RESULTS: Incorporating cohort effects significantly improved the model’s fit. A notable finding of the comprehensive model is the shift in Italy from premature to middle-age mortality components over time. Our results also demonstrate the tendency for mortality structures to spatially homogenize over time in Italy. CONCLUSIONS: The study underscores the importance of including cohort effects in mortality models in order to provide a more detailed picture of mortality trends. CONTRIBUTION: This work introduces a novel application of a Bayesian mixture model with cohort effects, offering enhanced tools for demographic analysis and new insights into the evolution of mortality components in Italy. This approach is general but fully formalized and hence it can be readily used for demographic studies in other regions as well.
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spelling doaj-art-24bd5ee7d0024ccfafe66c64198e01a42025-08-20T02:57:04ZengMax Planck Institute for Demographic ResearchDemographic Research1435-98712024-10-0151331017105810.4054/DemRes.2024.51.336569A Bayesian model for age at death with cohort effectsMatteo Dimai0Marek Brabec1Università degli Studi di Trieste (UNITS)Akademie věd České RepublikyBACKGROUND: Ongoing mortality trends affect the distribution of age at death, typically described by parametric models. Cohort effects can markedly perturb the distribution and reduce the fit of such models, and this needs to be specifically taken into account. OBJECTIVE: This study examines the integration of cohort effects in a three-component parametric model for the age-at-death distribution, applying it to data with significant cohort effects. METHODS: We employed a mixture model with a half-normal and two skew-normal components, adapted to a Bayesian framework to include multiplicative cohort effects. The model was applied to data from five Italian regions, with cohort effects estimated for the 1915–1925 cohorts. RESULTS: Incorporating cohort effects significantly improved the model’s fit. A notable finding of the comprehensive model is the shift in Italy from premature to middle-age mortality components over time. Our results also demonstrate the tendency for mortality structures to spatially homogenize over time in Italy. CONCLUSIONS: The study underscores the importance of including cohort effects in mortality models in order to provide a more detailed picture of mortality trends. CONTRIBUTION: This work introduces a novel application of a Bayesian mixture model with cohort effects, offering enhanced tools for demographic analysis and new insights into the evolution of mortality components in Italy. This approach is general but fully formalized and hence it can be readily used for demographic studies in other regions as well. https://www.demographic-research.org/articles/volume/51/33age at deathBayesian approachcohort effectsItalymortality
spellingShingle Matteo Dimai
Marek Brabec
A Bayesian model for age at death with cohort effects
Demographic Research
age at death
Bayesian approach
cohort effects
Italy
mortality
title A Bayesian model for age at death with cohort effects
title_full A Bayesian model for age at death with cohort effects
title_fullStr A Bayesian model for age at death with cohort effects
title_full_unstemmed A Bayesian model for age at death with cohort effects
title_short A Bayesian model for age at death with cohort effects
title_sort bayesian model for age at death with cohort effects
topic age at death
Bayesian approach
cohort effects
Italy
mortality
url https://www.demographic-research.org/articles/volume/51/33
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