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1925
27
Females live longer than males, but the most important
factor is the age-constitution of a population. The tendency to
death is greatest among persons living at the extremes of life—
among infants and old people.
The Registrar-General has published a table of "factors"
for all the large towns, by applying which to the "crude deathrate
it becomes corrected for age and sex distribution, so that the
"corrected death-rate" gives the death-rate of any place, calculated
on the basis that the age and sex distribution in that place
is the same as that for the whole country. Thus all " corrected "
death-rates being reduced to a common basis, may fairly be
compared.
The "factor for correction" for Acton is 1.001, and may
practically be ignored, as it makes a difference of only .01 per 1,000
inhabitants in the death-rate.
The interest of the "factors for correction" lies in its demonstration
of the change which has occurred in the character of the
population during the past quarter of a century.
The Registrar-General works out the factors for correction
after each census. After the Census of 1901, the factor for correction
for Acton was 1.0424. After the Census of 1911, this factor was
raised to 1.064. But after the Census of 1921, the factor was reduced
to 1.001. The age and sex distribution of the population has
altered, and the proportion of people living in the age groups 5—65
years was much lower at the last Census than at the two previous
ones.
Table I gives an analysis of mortality for the year 1925, and
from this table it will be seen that the death-rate for the district is
lower than that of England and Wales, of London, and of the 105
County Boroughs and Great Towns.
Table II gives the death-rates for the last 6 years, and it will
be seen that the death-rate has been fairly steady in that period.
The death-rate last year was higher than that of 1921, 1922 and
1923, and lower than that of 1920 and 1924. Compared with
1924, there was an increase in the number of deaths in the age
periods under 1 year, over 65 years, and a slight increase in the age
period 15 to 25 years. There was a decrease in the number at all
other age periods.