Independent Relationship of Changes in Death Rates with Changes in US Presidential Voting.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The outcome of the 2016 presidential election is commonly attributed to socioeconomic and ethnic/racial issues, but health issues, including "deaths of despair," may also have contributed.

Objective

To assess whether changes in age-adjusted death rates were independently associated with changes in presidential election voting in 2016 vs. 2008.

Design

We used publicly available data in each of 3112 US counties to correlate changes in a county's presidential voting in 2016 compared with 2008 with recent changes in its age-adjusted death rate, after controlling for population and rural-urban status, median age, race/ethnicity, income, education, unemployment rate, and health insurance rate.

Design setting

Cross-sectional analysis of county-specific data

SUBMITTER: Goldman L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6420486 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature