Factors responsible for mortality variation in the United States: A latent variable analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Factors including smoking, drinking, substance abuse, obesity, and health care have all been shown to affect health and longevity. The relative importance of each of these factors is disputed in the literature, and has been assessed through a number of methods.

Objective

This paper uses a novel approach to identify factors responsible for interstate mortality variation. It identifies factors through their imprint on mortality patterns and can therefore identify factors that are difficult or impossible to measure directly, such as sensitive health behaviors.

Methods

The analysis calculates age-standardized death rates by cause of death from 2000-2009 for white men and women separately. Only premature deaths between ages 20-64 are included. Latent variables r

SUBMITTER: Tencza C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4238308 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature