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NIH: Premature death rates decline among some minority groups in US
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Premature death rates in the United States differ by race and ethnicity, showing a decline among Hispanics, blacks and Asian/Pacific Islanders and an increase among whites and American Indian/Alaska Natives between 1999 to 2014, according to a news release issued by the NIH.
Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the University of New Mexico College of Nursing conducted a comprehensive study on premature mortality for the entire U.S. population from 1999 to 2014. Based on death certificate data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, they analyzed trends in premature death rates by age, sex, and race and ethnicity, and identified specific causes of death that triggered time-based trends.
The study, published in The Lancet, revealed fewer deaths from cancer, heart disease and HIV during the study duration as an essential factor in the declining rates of premature deaths among Hispanics, blacks, and Asian/Pacific Islanders. Successful public health efforts to reduce tobacco use and medical improvements in diagnosis and treatment also attributed to this decline, according to NIH. Similarly, fewer premature deaths from cancer, as well as from heart disease for most ages were observed in whites; however, when compared with black men and women, whiles still had a lower overall premature death rate despite the improvements.
The increase in overall premature death rates among whites and American Indian/Alaska Natives was mainly due to substantial increases in accidental deaths, such as drug overdoses, in addition to suicide and liver disease. Death rates among whites and American Indian/Alaska Natives between the ages of 25 years and 30 years increased as much as 2% to 5% per year, which was comparable to the increases in premature deaths seen during the highpoint of the AIDS epidemic in the United States, according to NIH.
“The results of our study suggest that, in addition to continued efforts against cancer, heart disease, and HIV, there is an urgent need for aggressive actions targeting emerging causes of death, namely drug overdoses, suicide, and liver disease,” Meredith S. Shiels, PhD, MHS, lead author of the study from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG), NCI, said in the release.
These findings can inform prevention and surveillance efforts to support groups in greatest need, Amy Berrington, DPhil, senior author of the study also of DCEG, added. – by Alaina Tedesco
References:
Shiels MS, et al. Lancet. 2016;doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30187-3.
Disclosure: The researchers report funding from the U.S. National Cancer Institute Intramural Research Program.