[Mortality differences according to sex: causes and associated factors].

A higher general mortality was observed for males between 1981 and 1983, in relation to trauma, cardiovascular and digestive diseases. This may indicate a poorer attitude towards health care in males. The difference is more marked in the younger population and in the old age group due to different causes in each case. Geographic and lifestyle patterns also contribute to explain differences in mortality. Multiple regression analysis suggests that socioeconomic factors explain different mortality rates among geographical regions, with a lesser contribution from differences in the quality of local health care delivery.