SPA 6 Statistics -
VII. Mortality Back to Table of Contents
Leading Causes of Death
During 1999, there were 6,799 deaths among residents of SPA 6 (Table 24). Heart disease and cancers were the leading causes of death, with 2,207 and 1,445 deaths, respectively. These two causes accounted for 54% of deaths during that year. Other leading causes of death among SPA 6 residents during 1999 were cerebrovascular disease with 509 deaths (8%), chronic lower respiratory disease (CLD) with 306 deaths (5%), homicide with 295 deaths (4%), diabetes mellitus with 270 deaths (4%), unintentional injuries with 227 deaths (3.3%), and pneumonia/influenza with 177 deaths representing 2.6% of deaths in SPA 6.
Death rates per 100,000 population were 207 for heart disease and 136 for cancers. These rates were followed by a rate of 48 deaths per 100,000 population for cerebrovascular disease, a rate of 29 for chronic lower respiratory disease (CLD), a rate of 28 for homicide, a rate of 25 for diabetes, and a rate of 21 deaths per 100,000 population for unintentional injuries.
Table 25 ranks the leading causes of death for age groups in SPA 6 during 1999 and presents age-specific death rates (ASDR). All ASDRs are per 100,000 population of the specific age group. Leading causes of death among children 0 to 4 years of age were perinatal complications and short gestation, with 28 and 23 deaths, respectively. The ASDRs for these two leading causes of death were 27 and 22 per 100,000 population of this age group, respectively. Homicide and unintentional Injuries were the leading causes of death among children and youth 5 to 19 years of age, with 62 and 23 deaths, respectively. ASDRs for these two death causes were 21 and 8 per 100,000 population of this age group, respectively. For persons 20 to 44 years old, homicide was the leading cause of death (194 deaths and an ASDR of 48). It was followed by cancers, unintentional injuries, heart disease, and AIDS, with 107, 100, 68, and 50 deaths, respectively; and ASDRs of 26, 25, 17, and 12, respectively. Heart disease and cancers had the highest numbers and ASDRs among persons 45 to 64 years of age with 463 and 413 deaths; and ASDRs of 284 and 254, respectively. For elderly residents 65 years and over, heart disease was the leading cause of death, with 1,664 deaths and an ASDR of 1,885 per 100,000 population. It was followed by cancers, cerebrovascular disease, chronic lower respiratory disease, diabetes mellitus, and pneumonia/influenza, with 910, 393, 233, 186, and 157 deaths, respectively; and ASDRs of 1,030, 445, 264, 211, and 178 per 100,000 population of this age group, respectively.
Table 26 presents the racial/ethnic distribution of deaths in SPA 6 during 1999 by age groups. Of the 6,799 deaths among SPA 6 residents during that year, 4,628 (68%) were among African American residents, 1,272 (19%) were among Latinos, 717 (10%) were among Whites, and 182 (3%) were among other racial/ethnic groups. Death was likely to occur at an earlier age among Latinos than among all other racial/ethnic groups. The proportion of deaths among persons 20 to 44 years of age was much higher among Latinos (22%) than among all other racial/ethnic groups, with 9% among African Americans, 5% among Whites, and 4% among other racial/ethnic groups. In the meantime, about 38% of deaths among Latinos were 65 years and over. This age group represented significantly higher percentages of deaths among all other racial/ethnic groups, with 78% among Whites, 75% among persons of other racial/ethnic groups, and 66% among African Americans.
Unintentional Injury Deaths, Suicides, and Homicides
During 1999, there were 227 unintentional injury deaths, 49 suicides, and 295 homicides in SPA 6 (Table 27). Unintentional injury deaths include motor vehicle and other accidental deaths. Approximately 70% of unintentional injury deaths were 18 to 64 years of age, 22% were seniors 65 years and over, and 8% were children and youth less than 18 years old. Persons 18 to 64 years of age constituted about 75% of suicides, seniors made up 21%, and children and youth represented 4% of suicides in SPA 6 during 1999. Approximately 82% of homicides in SPA 6 during 1999 were 18 to 64 years of age, 10% were children and youth, and 8% were seniors.
Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL)
Years of potential life lost (YPLL) due to death prior to reaching the age of 65 are presented in Table 28. Years of potential life lost for homicides were substantially higher than for other causes of deaths, with 10,815 years compared to 7,270 years, 6,598 years, and 5,618 years of potential life lost for cancers, heart disease, and unintentional injuries, respectively. In addition, 1,750 years, 1,420 years, 1,380 years, and 1,205 years of potential life were lost for AIDS, cerebrovascular disease, suicides, and chronic liver/cirrhosis disease, respectively.
The rate of years of potential life lost before age 65 per 100,000 population was significantly higher for homicides (1,106) than for other diseases. This rate was followed by a rate of 744 for cancers, a rate of 675 for heart disease, and a rate of 575 for unintentional injuries per 100,000 population less than 65 years of age.
