Recent Trends in US Mortality in Early and Middle Adulthood: Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Inter-Cohort Patterns

Citation

Zang, Emma; Zheng, Hui; Yang, Yang Claire; & Land, Kenneth C. (2019). Recent Trends in US Mortality in Early and Middle Adulthood: Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Inter-Cohort Patterns. International Journal of Epidemiology, 48(3), 934-944. PMCID: PMC6934031

Abstract

Background: A striking increase in the all-cause mortality of US middle-aged non-Hispanic Whites in the past two decades has been documented by previous studies. The inter-cohort patterns in US mortality, as well as their racial/ethnic disparities, are still unclear.
Methods: Using official mortality data, we study US annual mortality rates for ages 25-54 from 1990 to 2016 by gender and race/ethnicity. We conduct an age-period-cohort analysis to disentangle the period and cohort forces driving the absolute changes in mortality across cohorts. Nine leading causes of death are also explored to explain the inter-cohort mortality patterns and their racial/ethnic disparities.
Results: We find cohort-specific elevated mortality trends for gender- and race/ethnicity-specific populations. For non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics, Baby Boomers have increased mortality trends compared with other cohorts. For non-Hispanic White females, it is late-Gen Xers and early-Gen Yers for whom the mortality trends are higher than other cohorts. For non-Hispanic White males, the elevated mortality pattern is found for Baby Boomers, late-Gen Xers, and early-Gen Yers. The mortality pattern among Baby Boomers is at least partially driven by mortality related to drug poisoning, suicide, external causes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and HIV/AIDS for all race and gender groups affected. The elevated mortality patterns among late-Gen Xers and early-Gen Yers are at least partially driven by mortality related to drug poisonings and alcohol-related diseases for non-Hispanic Whites. Differential patterns of drug poisoning-related mortality play an important role in the racial/ethnic disparities in these mortality patterns.
Conclusions: We find substantial racial/ethnic disparities in inter-cohort mortality patterns. Our findings also point to the unique challenges faced by younger generations.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyy255

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2019

Journal Title

International Journal of Epidemiology

Author(s)

Zang, Emma
Zheng, Hui
Yang, Yang Claire
Land, Kenneth C.

PMCID

PMC6934031

ORCiD

Yang, YC - 0000-0001-7279-1479