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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

James L. Wilson, PhD¹, Christopher J. Mansfield, PhD², and Satomi Imai, PhD¹. (1) Center for Health Services Research and Development, East Carolina University, Physicians Quadrangle Building N, Greenville, NC 27834, 252-744-2953, wilsonja@ecu.edu, (2) Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, East Carolina University, Center for Health Services Research and Development, Bldg. "N", Physicians' Quadrangle, Greenville, NC 27858

Purpose: In this presentation we introduce the median-age-at-death (MEDAD) as a complement to premature mortality as measured by years of life lost. The MEDAD, combined with a frequency histogram, provides additional information about the underlying structure of premature mortality. MEDADs can be calculated for specific mortality causes, demographic groups and geographic areas, and can be used as an empirical means for tracking progress towards goals aimed at reducing health disparities among demographic groups and locations. Methods: Mortality data were provided by the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. Calculations were conducted using SAS, SPSS, and Microsoft's Excel. Results: Preliminary results show that the median age for mortality by all causes in North Carolina was 75.1 years. More than half of the Non-White male population do not reach the age of 65 years, while more than half of the White female population dies after 80 years of age. For total cardiovascular disease deaths, a change of county location adds nearly 10 years to the MEDAD for White males. Conclusions: Examining median-ages-at-death provides meaningful assessments of mortality patterns among demographic groups and geographic locations.

Learning Objectives:

• Evaluate the utility of median-ages-a-death as a descriptor of premature mortality.
• Assess the potential of median-ages-at-death as a measure in health disparities research.

Keywords: Mortality, Health Disparities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation