The geography of adult mortality: results from the fuzzy clumping method

Recent Italian research on death by cause has pinpointed mortality differences between provinces. These studies, based on classification type multivariate analyses, identified homogeneous geographical areas with clearly defined borders, implicitly assuming no shared analogies in mortality models in bordering areas. In reality, it is natural to assume that neighbouring areas are exposed to mortality risks deriving from similar individual behaviour or from features of the surrounding environment.