 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Katherine E. Heck, MPH, 4-H Center for Youth Development, University of California, Davis, Dept. of Human and Community Development, 3321 Hart Hall, Davis, CA 95616, 530-754-8755, keheck@ucdavis.edu, Jennifer D. Parker, PhD, Infant and Child Health Studies Branch, National Center for Health Statistics, 6525 Belcrest Road, Hyattsville, MD 20782, and Jane McKendry, MEd, Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, 304 S St., Sacramento, CA 95814.
Background. Starting in 2000, California vital statistics data report up to three races for decedents on death certificates. Mortality rates for multiple-race individuals have not previously been published. Calculating mortality rates may be problematic as numerator (death certificate) race data may not match denominator (census) data. Because of this potential mismatch in reporting, and because the ability to report multiple races was new, we hypothesized that mortality rates calculated for multiple-race individuals would be implausibly low. The objective of this project was to examine mortality rates and quality of race reporting for multiple-race individuals in California using the new multiple-race data available on the death certificate. Methods. Death data were drawn from California vital statistics for 2000 and 2001. Denominator data were drawn from the 2000 census Modified Race Data Summary File. We calculated mortality rates and relative standard errors for multiple-race persons as a whole and by county, and for the three largest reported multiple-race groups (African American and white, American Indian/Alaska Native and white, and Asian and white). Results. Decedents reported to be of more than one race were disproportionately young, Hispanic, male, and never-married. Age-adjusted mortality rates for multiple-race groups were approximately one-sixth as high as rates for single-race individuals. There was substantial variability in rates for multiple-race decedents according to county of residence. Conclusions. Mortality rates for multiple-race persons were implausibly low, and death certificates for multiple-race persons were geographically clustered. Race reporting on death certificates will need to be improved before accurate death rates can be calculated for multiple-race individuals.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Mortality, Statistics
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: none
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.