Progress in Reducing Disparities in Premature Mortality in the USA: a Descriptive Study

• Published in: Journal of general internal medicine : JGIM 2022-09, Vol.37 (12), p.2923-2930
• Main Authors: Ma, Jiemin, Yabroff, K. Robin, Siegel, Rebecca L., Cance, William G., Koh, Howard K., Jemal, Ahmedin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Black people; Death; Education; Educational attainment; Ethnicity; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Internal Medicine; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mortality; Mortality, Premature; Original Research; Premature mortality; Race factors; Racial Groups; Rural areas; Rural Population; Rural populations; United States - epidemiology; Urban areas; White people
• ISSN: 0884-8734; 1525-1497; 1525-1497
• DOI: 10.1007/s11606-021-07268-5

Background Eliminating health disparities among different segments of the US population is an overarching goal of the US Healthy People 2020 objectives. Objective Examine changes in educational, rural-urban, and racial disparities in premature mortality during the past 10 years. Design and Participants Descriptive analysis of US mortality data from 2007 to 2017. Main Measures Relative and absolute rural-urban, educational attainment, and Black-White disparities in premature mortality for all-cause and top 10 causes of death among persons ages 25–74 years, estimated as rate ratios and rate differences between ≤12 and ≥16 years of education, rural versus urban, and non-Hispanic Black (Black) versus non-Hispanic White (White), respectively, in 2007 and 2017. Key Results During 2007–2017, mortality rates in persons aged 25–74 years in the USA increased for several leading causes of death, especially in persons with