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Table 1 Characteristics of the study population of non-sudden deaths by community in Belgium

From: Euthanasia and other end-of-life decisions: a mortality follow-back study in Belgium

  

Dutch-speaking community

N = 1032

French-speaking community

N = 658

Total for Belgium

N = 1690

Patient characteristicsa

 

N

%

N

%

N

%

Ageb

1–64 y

118

11.6

81

12.5

199

12.0

 

65–84 y

574

56.7

358

55.2

932

56.1

 

85 y+

321

31.7

209

32.3

530

31.9

Sex

Male

526

51.0

313

47.6

839

49.6

 

Female

506

49.0

345

52.4

851

50.4

Educational levelb

Elementary or lower

431

46.3

235

40.9

666

44.3

 

Lower secondary

245

26.3

180

31.3

425

28.2

 

Higher secondary

173

18.6

113

19.7

286

19.0

 

Higher education

81

8.7

47

8.2

128

8.5

Cause of deathb

Cardiovascular dis.

136

13.3

101

15.5

237

14.2

 

Malignancies

455

44.6

270

41.5

725

43.4

 

Respiratory dis.

96

9.4

61

9.4

157

9.4

 

Dis. nervous systemc

110

10.8

82

12.6

192

11.5

 

Other

223

21.9

137

21.0

360

21.5

Place of death

Home or with family

226

21.9

177

26.9

403

23.8

 

Care home

276

26.7

176

26.7

452

26.7

 

Hospital

421

40.8

244

37.1

665

39.3

 

Palliative care unit

109

10.6

61

9.3

170

10.1

  1. a p > .05 for all characteristics (Fishers' Exact test)
  2. b Missing values for age n = 29; for level of education n = 185; for cause of death n = 19
  3. c including stroke