Systematic study of adult mortality reveals disparity increase between countries and between sexes

This article summarizes the global mortality rates of men and women aged 15 to 59 years from 1970 to 2010. The study published April 30th, 2010 in the Lancet is the first of its kind to comprehensively collect data from censuses, surveys on household deaths, vital registration data, and sibling survival histories. Previous studies have largely relied on child mortality numbers to estimate adult mortality rates. Excerpt:

'Women overall have seen their health improve more then men have. In the 40 years between 1970 and 2010, adult mortality fell by 34 percent and 19 percent in men globally. The gap between adult male and female mortality widened by 27 percent in that period.

Dr. Alan Lopez said "We have seen these estimates for child mortality for two decades now that have been enormously influential in informing debates about priorities for child survival. But we have been remarkably ignorant around adult mortality... We need to apply the passion that surrounds keeping children alive to young adults alive."
...
South Asia, and India in particular, had among the highest female mortality in the world in 1970. Both the region and the country have seen major declines. In 2010, it is better to be a woman in India than it was to be a man in the United States in 1997.'

I'm just glad that there was a significant health study that showed the health disparity between men and women and actually considered it to be of importance.