The persistent southern disadvantage in US early life mortality, 1965‒2014

Nathan T. Dollar, Robert A. Hummer, Richard G. Rogers, Elizabeth M. Lawrence, Iliya Gutin, David B. Braudt and Samuel Fishman
Additional contact information
Nathan T. Dollar: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Robert A. Hummer: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Richard G. Rogers: University of Colorado Boulder
Elizabeth M. Lawrence: University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Iliya Gutin: University of Texas at Austin
David B. Braudt: University of Colorado Boulder
Samuel Fishman: Duke University

Demographic Research, 2020, vol. 42, issue 11, 343-382

Abstract: Background: Recent studies of US adult mortality demonstrate a growing disadvantage among southern states. Few studies have examined long-term trends and geographic patterns in US early life (ages 1 to 24) mortality, ages at which key risk factors and causes of death are quite different than among adults. Objective: This article examines trends and variations in early life mortality rates across US states and census divisions. We assess whether those variations have changed over a 50-year time period and which causes of death contribute to contemporary geographic disparities. Methods: We calculate all-cause and cause-specific death rates using death certificate data from the Multiple Cause of Death files, combining public-use files from 1965‒2004 and restricted data with state geographic identifiers from 2005‒2014. State population (denominator) data come from US decennial censuses or intercensal estimates. Results: Results demonstrate a persistent mortality disadvantage for young people (ages 1 to 24) living in southern states over the last 50 years, particularly those located in the East South Central and West South Central divisions. Motor vehicle accidents and homicide by firearm account for most of the contemporary southern disadvantage in US early life mortality. Contribution: Our results illustrate that US children and youth living in the southern United States have long suffered from higher levels of mortality than children and youth living in other parts of the country. Our findings also suggest the contemporary southern disadvantage in US early life mortality could potentially be reduced with state-level policies designed to prevent deaths involving motor vehicles and firearms.

Keywords: mortality; early life health; U.S. South; homicide; geographic disparities; motor vehicle accidents (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J1 Z0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol42/11/42-11.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:dem:demres:v:42:y:2020:i:11

DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2020.42.11

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Demographic Research from Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Editorial Office ().