Death Rates by Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.
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Age-adjusted differences in death rates by race can indicate significant disparities in health outcomes among racial groups, even when considering differences in age distributions. These differences might reflect varying access to healthcare, social determinants of health, and systemic inequalities.
Some examples of disparities include higher rates of heart disease and hypertension among Black or African Americans, higher rates fo unintentional injuries and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis among American Indians or Alaskan Natives, and increased rates of diabetes among Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders, as well as the two aforementioned groups. These are only a few examples of health disparities by racial and ethnic groups.
Dataset
ICD-10 113 Cause List | American Indian or Alaska Native | Asian | Black or African American | More than one race | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | White |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heart disease | 155.2 | 85.5 | 226.2 | 74.9 | 182.5 | 179.8 |
Cancer | 124.9 | 92.9 | 167.4 | 67.3 | 144.6 | 153.7 |
COVID-19 | 184 | 61.9 | 136.4 | 45.7 | 185.4 | 93.5 |
Accidents (unintentional injuries) | 122.8 | 18.8 | 79.6 | 37 | 53.1 | 70 |
Stroke | 34.6 | 32.6 | 59.6 | 20.3 | 46.7 | 39.8 |
Diabetes | 51 | 18.1 | 46.3 | 14.9 | 54.4 | 22.4 |
Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 33.6 | 9.1 | 27.9 | 15.2 | 18.1 | 39.9 |
Alzheimer's disease | 18.3 | 17 | 29.4 | 10.9 | 20.1 | 32.6 |
Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis | 77.8 | 4.2 | 9.9 | 8.2 | 8.4 | 15.2 |
Kidney disease | 16.3 | 8.3 | 26.5 | 5.7 | 20.3 | 12.3 |
Septicemia | 11.8 | 4.5 | 17.6 | 3.4 | 10.5 | 10 |
Influenza and pneumonia | 14.1 | 8.1 | 13.4 | 4.3 | 10 | 10.4 |
Suicide | 28.1 | 6.8 | 8.7 | 9.7 | 12.6 | 17.4 |
Homicide | 12.9 | 1.5 | 33.7 | 4.2 | 7.1 | 3.3 |
Hypertension | 10.7 | 9.4 | 20.1 | 5 | 12 | 9.7 |
Parkinson's disease | 5.7 | 6.2 | 5.4 | 2.9 | 4.5 | 11 |
Data sources
What counts as a cause of death? The CDC compiles data on causes of death in the US based on death certificates. Each certificate lists an underlying causes of death, which is the disease or injury that initiated the chain of events leading to death. Medical professionals determine a cause based on clinical assessments, tests, and other evidence. The CDC categorizes these causes using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. This allows for standardized statistics that provide an understanding of the primary reasons people die, rather than just the immediate circumstances of their death. What is age-adjusted data? Age-adjusted data helps to compare health data over time or between groups more fairly by accounting for the age differences in populations. For example, suppose Population A has a higher average age than Population B. In that case, age-adjusting ensures that Population A's naturally higher death rate due to age doesn't skew comparisons of overall health between the two. This measurement makes death statistic comparisons more accurate than crude death rates.