Impact of injury-related deaths on life expectancy in China, 2016

This study aimed to illustrate the impact of injury-related deaths on life expectancy in China in 2016 and to identify the high-risk population. Standard life tables were used to calculate life expectancy and cause-eliminated life expectancy by utilizing mortality data from the national mortality surveillance system. In 2016, the life expectancy of Chinese residents was 78.91 years. After eliminating injury-related mortality, the life expectancy of the residents increased by 1.13 years, which was higher in male and rural residents compared with female and urban residents. The life expectancy on the Eastern and Central regions increased slowly compared with the Western region. The greatest influencing factor on life expectancy was road traffic injuries, followed by falls. Falls had a greater impact on life expectancy for children under 5 years old and those aged over 65 years. This study indicates that deaths caused by injury had a noteworthy impact on life expectancy in China. More attention should be paid to road traffic injuries, and effective preventive measures should be taken to reduce deaths related to injury to increase the life expectancy of residents, especially in children under 5 years and adults over 65 years. By reducing the deaths caused by injury, the life expectancy level is likely to further improve.