Sosyal Bilimler ve Sağlık Bülteni

Özgün Makale

No. 15 (2025)

Cancer Mortality and Socioeconomic Disparities in Turkey: A Nationwide Provincial Assessment for 2024

Submitted
July 31, 2025
Published
2025-08-22

Abstract

This quantitative study examines the relationship between cancer mortality and socioeconomic development across 81 provinces in Turkey, using data from the year 2024. Age-standardized mortality rates (SMR) were calculated through indirect standardization to control for confounding effects of age structure. Socioeconomic development levels were assessed using the 2017 Turkey Socioeconomic Development Index (SEGE), both as a continuous (normalized score) and categorical (six-tier) variable. Analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant differences in SMR across SEGE categories. However, correlation analysis showed a weak but statistically significant positive association between the normalized SEGE score and SMR (p=0.048). This finding suggests that, even after adjusting for age, cancer deaths are more frequently recorded in socioeconomically advanced provinces, possibly due to more efficient diagnostic and registration systems. Using SEGE scores as continuous variables allows for more precise regional comparisons. Lower SMRs in underdeveloped provinces may be associated with underdiagnosis, health-related migration, or weaker cancer registration infrastructure. The findings highlight the need to interpret health data within the broader context of structural inequalities and regional disparities.

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