Mortality Variation in U.S. Cities in 1900: A Two-Level Explanation by Cause of Death and Underlying Factors

1983 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen M. Crimmins ◽  
Gretchen A. Condran
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Contaminated Water ◽  
Death Registration ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Registration Data ◽  
Two Stages

Health conditions in United States cities at the turn of the twentieth century were very poor. Bleak pictures of crowded dwellings, contaminated water supplies, and filthy streets have been painted by numerous observers of urban areas at the time (Smith, 1964). While the effects of these conditions on mortality levels have not been precisely measured, urban mortality rates were consistently higher than rural mortality rates in 1900 in the United States (Condran and Crimmins, 1980). Nevertheless, considerable variation in the mortality levels of different cities also existed. Our goal in this article is to explain the variation in the mortality conditions in U.S. cities for which death registration data were collected in 1900. The analysis is done in two stages. First, the causes of death which accounted for the different mortality levels are isolated. Second, a multivariate analysis of the factors affecting the rates of occurrence of these causes of death is performed.

scholarly journals Persistent and extreme outliers in causes of death by state, 1999-2013

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis P Boscoe
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
National Rate ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
Specific Mortality

In the United States, state-specific mortality rates that are high relative to national rates can result from legitimate reasons or from variability in coding practices. This paper identifies instances of state-specific mortality rates that were at least twice the national rate in each of three consecutive five-year periods (termed persistent outliers), along with rates that were at least five times the national rate in at least one five-year period (termed extreme outliers). The resulting set of 71 outliers, 12 of which appeared on both lists, illuminates mortality variations within the country, including some that are amenable to improvement either because they represent preventable causes of death or highlight weaknesses in coding techniques. Because the approach used here is based on relative rather than absolute mortality, it is not dominated by the most common causes of death such as heart disease and cancer.

scholarly journals The Enduring Association between Education and Mortality

2011 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 913-934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Miech ◽  
Fred Pampel ◽  
Jinyoung Kim ◽  
Richard G. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Social Forces ◽  
Educational Disparities ◽  
Fundamental Cause ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Over Time

This article examines how educational disparities in mortality emerge, grow, decline, and disappear across causes of death in the United States, and how these changes contribute to the enduring association between education and mortality over time. Focusing on adults age 40 to 64 years, we first examine the extent to which educational disparities in mortality persisted from 1989 to 2007. We then test the fundamental cause prediction that educational disparities in mortality persist, in part, by shifting to new health outcomes over time. We focus on the period from 1999 to 2007, when all causes of death were coded to the same classification system. Results indicate (1) substantial widening and narrowing of educational disparities in mortality across causes of death, (2) almost all causes of death with increasing mortality rates also had widening educational disparities, and (3) the total educational disparity in mortality would be about 25 percent smaller today if not for newly emergent and growing educational disparities since 1999. These results point to the theoretical and policy importance of identifying social forces that cause health disparities to widen over time.

scholarly journals Persistent and extreme outliers in causes of death by state, 1999-2013

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis P Boscoe
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
National Rate ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
Specific Mortality

In the United States, state-specific mortality rates that are high relative to national rates can result from legitimate reasons or from variability in coding practices. This paper identifies instances of state-specific mortality rates that were at least twice the national rate in each of three consecutive five-year periods (termed persistent outliers), along with rates that were at least five times the national rate in at least one five-year period (termed extreme outliers). The resulting set of 71 outliers, 12 of which appeared on both lists, illuminates mortality variations within the country, including some that are amenable to improvement either because they represent preventable causes of death or highlight weaknesses in coding techniques. Because the approach used here is based on relative rather than absolute mortality, it is not dominated by the most common causes of death such as heart disease and cancer.

scholarly journals Persistent and extreme outliers in causes of death by state, 1999-2013

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis P Boscoe
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Causes Of Death ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
National Rate ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
Specific Mortality

In the United States, state-specific mortality rates that are high relative to national rates can result from legitimate reasons or from variability in coding practices. This paper identifies instances of state-specific mortality rates that were at least twice the national rate in each of three consecutive five-year periods (termed persistent outliers), along with rates that were at least five times the national rate in at least one five-year period (termed extreme outliers). The resulting set of 71 outliers, 12 of which appeared on both lists, illuminates mortality variations within the country, including some that are amenable to improvement either because they represent preventable causes of death or highlight weaknesses in coding techniques. Because the approach used here is based on relative rather than absolute mortality, it is not dominated by the most common causes of death such as heart disease and cancer.

Factors Affecting Reports of Neonatal Deaths in United States and Elsewhere

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1970 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1042-1042
Author(s):  
Laurance N. Nickey
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Infant Mortality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Infant Mortality Rate ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Neonatal Deaths ◽  
American Academy Of Pediatrics

Again, I have read that the United States' infant mortality rate is "a disgrace and totally unacceptable," that the Nation's infant mortality rate is 21.7 per 1000 live births, and that there are 12 countries which have lower infant mortality rates than the United States. I would very much like to challenge the Editorial Board of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatrics to help clarify this somewhat mysterious but often quoted figure. I would like to see in print an authoritative report outlining the criteria for neonatal death as used in this country and its several states, and also the countries that are commonly listed in the forefront, in so far as infant mortality rates are concerned.

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