Life-style and death patterns of the Missouri RLDS church members

L. McEvoy and G. Land

American Journal of Public Health, 1981, vol. 71, issue 12, 1350-1357

Abstract: Members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (RLDS) are dissuaded from the use of tobacco, alcohol, and hot drinks. A well-balanced diet is also stressed. This study compares the 1972-78 mortality experience of the Missouri RLDS with three other population groups. The findings show Missouri RLDS experiencing age-adjusted death rates which are 22.6% lower than rates for Missouri non-RLDS Whites; 19.6% lower than the non-RLDS of Independence, Missouri; and 14.4% lower than Utah residents. The RLDS display lower death rates than the two Missouri comparison groups for each of seven selected causes - particularly lung cancer, pneumonia/influenza, and violent deaths. Comparisons between the Missouri RLDS and Utah residents show an inconsistent pattern, with Utah residents having non-signficantly lower death rates for lung cancer and ischemic heart disease, but with the Missouri RLDS having significantly lower rates for pneumonia/influenza and violent deaths. These inconsistencies are of interest because 72% of Utah's population belong to the Mormon Church which advocates life-styles similar to the RLDS. If these disparate mortality patterns persist under a more direct comparison between the Missouri RLDS and Utah Mormons, they could provide the opportunity to assess the impact of similar life-styles in separate settings.

Date: 1981
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.71.12.1350_6

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.71.12.1350

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