Years of Life Lost and Ethnic Disparities in Premature Death in San Francisco
Author Information
Author(s): Aragón Tomás J, Lichtensztajn Daphne Y, Katcher Brian S, Reiter Randy, Katz Mitchell H
Primary Institution: University of California, Berkeley
Hypothesis
The study aims to rank the leading causes of premature death among San Francisco residents and assess ethnic disparities in these causes.
Conclusion
The study found that local death registry data can effectively measure and monitor the leading causes of premature death and ethnic health disparities.
Supporting Evidence
- In 2003-2004, 6312 men died with 73,627 years of life lost.
- 5726 women died with 51,194 years of life lost.
- The age-standardized YLL rate for men was 65% higher than for women.
- African American men and women had the highest age-standardized YLL rates compared to other ethnic groups.
Takeaway
This study looked at how many years people lost due to early deaths in San Francisco and found big differences between different ethnic groups.
Methodology
The study used death registry data and population estimates from 2003-2004 to calculate years of life lost (YLL) and age-standardized YLL rates, stratified by sex, ethnicity, and cause of death.
Potential Biases
Potential underestimation of mortality burden for selected contributing causes of death.
Limitations
The accuracy of death certificate data may vary, and the YLL measure does not account for conditions that cause significant disease but do not result in death.
Participant Demographics
The study focused on San Francisco residents, stratified by sex and ethnicity.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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