Longitude-based time zone partitions and rates of suicide.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Increasing evidence suggests that conditions with decreased morning and increased evening light exposure, including shift work, daylight-saving time, and eveningness, are associated with elevated mortality and suicide risk. Given that the alignment between the astronomical, biological, and social time varies across a time zone, with later-shifted daylight exposure in the western partition, we hypothesized that western time zone partitions would have higher suicide rates than eastern partitions.

Methods

United States (U.S.) county-level suicide and demographic data, from 2010 to 2018, were obtained from a Centers for Disease Control database. Using longitude and latitude, counties were sorted into the western, middle, or eastern partition of their respective time z

SUBMITTER: Reis DJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10870927 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature