Ranking alcohol-related premature mortality with other causes in San Francisco

Beginning with years of life lost (YLLs) for each the leading causes of premature death in San Francisco, we apply population attributable fractions (PAFs) from the Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors, where applicable. The estimates of YLLs attributable to alcohol for these specific causes of premature death are then added together. The resulting sum, alcohol-related YLL, is then ranked along with the other leading causes of premature death. The rankings for the City as a whole and its various demographic subgroups differ greatly. This method is useful for underscoring the relative importance of alcohol as a contributor to premature mortality, and for identifying the segments of the population most affected.