Premature Death in the New Independent States: Overview

The authors briefly outline the papers presented in this volume. "Chapters 2 through 6 examine the evidence for declining life expectancy in the NIS [New Independent States of the former Soviet Union] to determine the magnitude of the decline and the extent to which it is attributable to statistical rather than substantive issues.... Chapters 7 through 14 examine possible causes for the large number of excess deaths in the NIS. They focus on three key health behaviors--alcohol consumption tobacco consumption and diet--and describe preventive health interventions in these three areas that have proven effective in other industrialized countries." (EXCERPT)