Other Free Encyclopedias :: Social Issues Reference :: Social Trends in America - Vol 3

The State of Our Health: Data Presentation

Leading Causes of Death in 1900 and in 2000

Deaths per 100,000Population
1900
Major cardiovascular diseases 345.2
Influenza and pneumonia 202.2
Tuberculosis 194.4
2000
Diseases of the heart and stroke 317.3
Malignancies (cancer) 199.9
Chronic lower respiratory diseases 44.8
Source: For 1900 data: Historical Statistics of the United States, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Table B149-166, p. 58. For 2000 data: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obtained at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hphome.htm.

Leading Causes of Death in 1999

Number of Deaths
All causes 2,391,399
Diseases of the heart 725,192
Cancer (malignant neoplasms) 549,838
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases) 167,366
Chronic lower respiratory diseases 124,181
Accidents (unintentional injuries) 97,860
Diabeters mellitus 68,399
Influenza and pneumonia 63,730
Alzheimer's disease 44,536
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis 35,525
Septicemia 30,680
Source: Anderson, Robert N. Deaths: Leading Causes for 1999. National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 49, Number 11, October 12, 2001. Department of Health and Human Services.

Top Ten Leading Causes of Death, Men and Women, 1999

% of All Deaths and Rank
Women Men
(%) Rank (%) Rank
Heart disease 30.7 1 29.9 1
Cancer 21.7 2 24.3 2
Stroke 8.5 3 5.5 3
Respiratory diseases 5.1 4 5.3 5
Diabeters 3.1 5 2.7 6
Influenza/pneumonia 3.0 6 2.4 7
Accidents 2.8 7 5.4 4
Alzheimer's 2.6 8 1.1 -
Kidney diseases 1.5 9 1.4 10
Septicemia 1.4 10 1.1 -
Liver diseases 0.8 - 1.5 9
Suicide 0.5 - 2.0 8
Source: Anderson, Robert N. Deaths: Leading Causes for 1999. National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 49, Number 11, October 12, 2001. Department of Health and Human Services.

Top Ten Leading Causes of Deaths by Race

Asian/PI stands for Asians and Pacific Islanders. American Indian includes Native Alaskans.
Percent of all Deaths Rank
White African American American Indian Asian/PI White African American American Indian Asian/PI
Heart disease 30.8 27.6 21.3 27.0 1 1 1 1
Cancer 23.2 21.7 16.2 26.2 2 2 2 2
Stroke 7.0 6.6 4.8 9.2 3 3 5 3
Respiratory diseases 5.6 2.8 3.6 3.3 4 6 7 6
Accidents 4.0 4.5 11.7 4.6 5 4 3 4
Influenza/pneumonia 2.8 2.1 2.8 2.5 6 10 8 7
Diabeters 2.6 4.2 6.4 3.4 7 5 4 5
Alzheimer's 2.0 0.8 0.8 0.7 8 - - -
Kidney diseases 1.4 2.4 1.7 1.7 9 9 - 9
Suicide 1.3 0.7 2.6 2.0 10 - 9 8
Septicemia 1.2 2.0 1.5 1.2 - - - 10
Liver diseases 1.1 1.0 4.5 0.9 - - 6 -
Homicide 0.4 2.7 2.2 1.1 - 8 10 -
HIV 0.3 2.8 0.6 0.3 - 7 - -
Source: Anderson, Robert N. Deaths: Leading Causes for 1999. National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 49, Number 11, October 12, 2001. Department of Health and Human Services.

Top Ten Leading Causes of Infant Deaths in 1999

Percent of Deaths
Leading Causes of Death
Congenital malformations 19.6
Death related to low birth weight 15.7
Sudden infant death syndrome 9.5
Maternal complications of pregnancy 5.0
Respirotary diseases 4.0
Complications of placenta, cord, and membranes 3.7
Accidents 3.0
Bacterial sepsis 2.5
Diseses of the circulatory system 2.4
Atelectasis 2.3
Births and Deaths
Total births-Number 3,959,000
Deaths before age 1-Number 27,937
Deaths before the age of 28 days 18,728
Percentiles
Deaths before age 1 as % of all births 0.71
Deaths before age 28 days as % of all births 0.47
Death before age 28 as % of all infant deaths 67.04
Source: Anderson, Robert N. Deaths: Leading Causes for 1999. National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 49, Number 11, October 12, 2001. Department of Health and Human Services.

Death Rates per 100,000 Population, 1979 to 1998, Selected Diseases

Year Ischemic Heart Disease Females
Fenakes Stroke Breast Cancer Diabetes
Males Females
1979 454.7 255.5 92.3 31.2 17.3
1980 459.7 263.1 91.7 31.9 18.0
1981 440.1 250.3 85.7 32.0 17.4
1982 427.8 243.7 80.4 32.2 17.0
1983 420.6 241.8 77.4 32.1 17.6
1984 403.7 233.4 75.4 32.9 16.7
1985 393.7 227.0 73.3 33.0 17.0
1986 373.2 219.1 70.2 32.8 16.8
1987 359.7 212.5 68.8 32.7 16.9
1988 352.1 209.0 67.4 33.2 17.5
1989 337.4 200.5 64.1 33.2 19.8
1990 328.2 193.9 62.6 33.3 19.9
1991 316.7 187.8 60.3 32.8 19.8
1992 306.7 182.1 59.3 31.8 19.8
[Continued]

[Continued]

Death Rates per 100,000 Population, 1979 to 1998, Selected Diseases [Continued]

Year Ischemic Heart Disease Females
Fenakes Stroke Breast Cancer Diabetes
Males Females
1993 306.7 182.7 60.3 31.5 20.9
1994 295.0 176.3 60.4 31.1 21.5
1995 287.8 173.6 61.4 30.8 22.0
1996 276.9 167.7 60.8 29.8 22.4
1997 265.7 160.9 59.5 28.6 22.3
1998 254.1 155.6 58.2 27.9 22.3
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002.

Death Rates of Females by Race, 1979 to 1999, Ischemic Heart Disease

Whites Blacks Non-Whites
1979 255.4 255.8 242.4
1980 262.6 274.2 254.6
1981 250.2 258.1 238.5
1982 243.7 250.0 230.6
1983 241.1 254.6 235.5
1984 232.9 244.2 225.6
1985 226.3 241.2 221.9
1986 218.0 238.7 218.7
1987 211.5 232.4 212.3
1988 207.6 232.3 211.7
1989 198.5 228.7 208.0
1990 192.1 220.1 200.3
1991 185.8 218.6 196.9
1992 179.9 212.3 191.9
1993 180.3 217.4 195.3
1994 174.3 206.4 185.4
1995 171.4 205.4 183.9
1996 165.8 198.7 175.3
1997 159.1 191.7 168.1
1998 153.7 186.8 163.4
1999 152.5 192.5 167.4
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Controland Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System,accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002.

Obesity-1960 to 1999

Persons 20-74 years, age adjusted to 2000 population. NA stands for Not Available. For definitions of obesity and overweight, please see text in Part I.
Percent Obese Percent Overweight
Men Women
All Races White Black All Men
1960-1962 10.7 15.7 14.2 26.8 13.3 38.3
1971-1974 12.2 16.8 15.4 29.7 14.6 41.5
1976-1980 12.8 17.1 15.5 31.3 15.1 39.2
1988-1994 20.6 26.0 24.3 39.0 23.3 39.9
1999 NA NA NA NA 27.0 NA
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health Examination Statistics. Unpublished data. Retrieved http://www.cdc.gov/ on June 1, 2002.

Mammograms and Possible Breast Cancer Relationships-Women, 1987 to 1998, Selected Years

Death rates are per 100,000 population.
Year % of Women Who Had Mammograms Breast Cancer Death Rates
White Black White Black
1987 29.6 24.0 32.6 36.4
1990 52.2 46.4 33.2 38.1
1991 55.6 48.0 32.6 38.2
1993 60.0 59.1 31.3 38.1
1994 60.6 64.3 30.8 37.8
1998 67.4 66.0 27.3 35.7
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health United States, 2001, p. 279, downloaded from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hus/tables/2001/01hus082

Breast Cancer Survival Rates for Women, Selected Years

Survival rates show the percent of individuals still alive five years after initial diagnosis.
% Surviving
White Black
1974-79 75.2 63.1
1974-79 77.1 65.9
1974-79 79.7 63.7
1974-79 84.6 69.6
1974-79 86.7 70.6
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health United States, 2001, p. 279, downloaded from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hus/tables/2001/01hus082.pdf. Survival rates are from National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, Cancer Statistics Branch, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.

People with High Serum Cholesterol, Selected Years

Percent with High Serum Cholesterol
All Races Whites African Americans
Men Women Men Women Men Women
1960-62 30.6 35.6 31.3 36.2 26.0 31.8
1971-74 27.9 29.1 27.9 28.9 26.6 30.5
1975-80 26.4 28.8 26.4 29.2 25.8 26.2
1988-94 18.8 20.5 19.1 20.7 16.4 19.5
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, October 31, 1997, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00049741.htm.

Prevalence and Incidence of Self-reported Diabetes Mellitus, by Year — United States

Age-adjustment, in this case to 1985 population structure, is conducted to make data more comparable, year to year, despite shifting age structure of the population.
Year Prevalence Incidence-Diagnosed in Last 12 mo.
Number of Existing Cases (000) Rate per 1,000 Population Age-Adjusted Rate per 1,000 Population Number of Existing Cases (000) Rate per 1,000 Population Age-Adjusted Rate per 1,000 Population
1980 5,528 25.4 25.5 541 2.5 2.5
1981 5,645 25.1 25.3 501 2.2 2.2
1982 5,729 25.2 25.4 713 3.1 3.2
1983 5,613 24.5 24.7 690 3.0 3.0
1984 6,004 25.9 26.0 645 2.8 2.8
1985 6,134 26.2 26.2 679 2.9 2.9
1986 6,563 27.8 27.8 644 2.7 2.7
[Continued]

Prevalence and Incidence of Self-reported Diabetes Mellitus, by Year — United States [Continued]

Year Prevalence Incidence-Diagnosed in Last 12 mo.
Number of Existing Cases (000) Rate per 1,000 Population Age-Adjusted Rate per 1,000 Population Number of Existing Cases (000) Rate per 1,000 Population Age-Adjusted Rate per 1,000 Population
1987 6,609 27.7 27.6 715 3.0 3.0
1988 6,162 25.6 25.4 678 2.8 2.8
1989 6,467 26.6 26.3 677 2.8 2.8
1990 6,212 25.2 24.8 521 2.1 2.1
1991 7,206 29.0 28.5 613 2.4 2.4
1992 7,365 29.3 28.5 613 2.4 2.4
1993 7,783 30.6 29.7 865 3.4 3.3
1994 7,744 29.8 29.3 965 3.7 3.7
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, October 31, 1997, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00049741.htm.

Maternal Mortality Rates, Selected Years

Rise in values from 1998 to 1999 in part due to redefinition of mortality codes.
Year Deaths per 100,000 Live Births
All White Black
1950 73.7 53.1 NA
1960 32.1 22.4 92.0
1970 21.5 14.4 65.5
1980 9.4 6.7 24.9
1990 7.6 5.1 21.7
1995 6.3 3.6 20.9
1996 6.4 4.1 19.9
1997 7.6 5.2 20.1
1998 6.1 4.2 16.1
1999 8.3 5.5 23.3
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health United States, 2001, obtained from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hus/tables/2001/01hus044.pdf.

Death Rates for Ischemic Heart Disease, 1979 to 1998

Year Age-Adjusted Death Rates per 100,000 Population
All Races Males
Females Males White Black Non-White
1979 255.5 454.7 462.3 315.9 377.5
1980 263.1 459.7 466.3 334.5 392.2
1981 250.3 440.1 447.4 316.2 366.2
1982 243.7 427.8 434.9 305.3 356.7
1983 241.8 420.6 427.3 308.2 354.0
1984 233.4 403.7 410.1 296.6 340.8
1985 227.0 393.7 399.3 293.4 338.4
1986 219.1 373.2 377.8 288.2 327.3
1987 212.5 359.7 363.4 281.8 322.0
1988 209.0 352.1 355.7 279.8 315.6
1989 200.5 337.4 339.6 276.1 312.3
1990 193.9 328.2 330.5 267.0 302.1
1991 187.8 316.7 318.4 264.1 296.1
1992 182.1 306.7 308.4 255.8 286.6
1993 182.7 306.7 307.8 260.5 291.0
1994 176.3 295.0 296.3 247.4 277.1
1995 173.6 287.8 288.4 247.1 276.3
1996 167.7 276.9 278.9 235.3 254.2
1997 160.9 265.7 267.1 228.3 247.6
1998 155.6 254.1 255.2 221.9 239.1
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002.

Death Rates for Lung Cancer, 1979 to 1998

Year Age-Adjusted Death Rates per 100,000 Population
All Races Males
Females Males White Black Non-White
1979 22.4 82.9 81.6 101.7 93.4
1980 24.4 85.2 83.8 107.6 97.3
1981 25.1 85.4 83.8 109.7 94.4
1982 26.6 87.1 85.5 112.4 99.8
1983 28.3 87.1 85.5 112.6 99.9
1984 29.1 88.3 86.4 118.0 104.1
1985 30.6 88.6 86.8 117.3 103.1
1986 31.5 89.0 87.0 119.1 104.0
1987 32.9 90.0 88.0 121.6 105.5
1988 34.3 89.9 87.9 122.2 105.5
1989 35.9 89.8 87.6 124.6 106.6
1990 37.1 91.1 89.0 125.4 107.2
1991 37.8 90.2 88.2 123.0 105.1
[Continued]

Death Rates for Lung Cancer, 1979 to 1998 [Continued]

Year Age-Adjusted Death Rates per 100,000 Population
All Races Males
Females Males White Black Non-White
1992 38.9 88.2 86.3 120.5 102.5
1993 39.6 87.9 85.9 121.1 103.3
1994 40.0 86.0 84.1 117.5 100.1
1995 40.7 84.7 82.9 81.4 111.5
1996 40.9 82.9 81.4 111.5 93.9
1997 41.4 81.6 80.2 108.3 91.1
1998 41.5 79.9 78.6 105.2 88.5
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002.

Death Rates for Prostate Cancer, 1979 to 1998

Year Age-Adjusted Death Rates per 100,000 Population
All Races White Black Non-White
1979 32.1 30.1 56.3 51.0
1980 32.8 30.5 61.1 54.3
1981 32.7 30.3 62.1 54.9
1982 32.9 30.7 60.9 53.7
1983 33.4 31.1 63.0 55.0
1984 33.6 31.2 64.5 56.0
1985 33.4 30.8 65.8 57.4
1986 34.4 32.0 66.0 57.0
1987 34.6 32.1 67.8 58.0
1988 35.4 32.9 68.5 58.2
1989 36.6 34.1 70.6 59.9
1990 38.4 35.5 77.0 64.8
1991 38.9 36.2 76.6 63.8
1992 38.9 36.0 78.7 65.2
1993 39.1 36.0 80.0 67.0
1994 38.3 35.4 77.8 64.5
1995 37.1 34.2 75.7 63.1
1996 35.6 32.8 75.6 60.9
1997 33.8 31.1 71.1 56.9
1998 32.0 29.4 68.7 54.0
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002.

Death Rates for Colorectal Cancer, 1979 to 1998

Year Age-Adjusted Death Rates per 100,000 Population
All Races Males
Females Males White Black Non-White
1979 23.8 32.3 32.6 29.8 28.7
1980 23.8 32.8 33.0 32.4 30.5
1981 23.3 31.9 32.1 32.0 29.8
1982 23.0 31.9 32.0 32.9 30.5
1983 22.7 32.1 32.3 32.3 29.9
1984 23.1 32.1 32.2 34.0 31.1
1985 22.7 31.8 31.8 33.4 31.0
1986 21.9 31.2 31.1 34.7 31.7
1987 21.6 31.2 31.1 34.6 31.6
1988 21.2 30.4 30.3 33.8 30.5
1989 20.9 30.2 29.9 35.8 32.4
1990 20.6 30.4 30.1 37.3 33.0
1991 20.2 29.3 29.0 35.4 31.2
1992 19.9 29.0 28.7 35.8 31.4
1993 19.8 28.3 27.9 35.3 31.2
1994 19.4 28.0 27.6 35.0 30.8
1995 19.3 27.5 27.0 35.6 31.3
1996 18.7 26.5 26.1 33.6 29.1
1997 18.4 26.0 25.5 34.2 29.6
1998 18.2 25.4 24.9 32.7 28.3
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002.

Death Rates from Accidents, 1979 to 1998

Year Age-Adjusted Death Rates per 100,000 Population
All Races Males
Females Males White Black Non-White
1979 25.8 69.5 67.5 88.7 86.0
1980 26.1 69.0 66.9 91.0 87.0
1981 24.1 65.1 63.7 82.2 77.1
1982 22.5 59.9 58.5 75.1 71.1
1983 22.3 58.0 56.5 74.7 70.2
1984 22.2 57.6 56.3 73.1 68.0
1985 22.2 57.1 55.5 75.6 69.9
1986 22.0 57.2 55.6 75.2 69.5
1987 22.2 56.4 54.6 75.4 69.2
1988 22.8 57.0 55.0 78.6 71.6
1989 22.4 54.9 53.0 77.0 68.9
1990 21.5 52.9 51.4 69.0 63.1
1991 20.8 50.7 49.1 68.0 61.0
1992 20.0 48.6 47.4 63.2 57.1
[Continued]

Death Rates from Accidents, 1979 to 1998 [Continued]

Year Age-Adjusted Death Rates per 100,000 Population
All Races Males
Females Males White Black Non-White
1993 20.7 50.1 48.6 66.9 59.5
1994 20.9 50.1 48.6 65.3 59.1
1995 21.3 50.2 48.9 64.9 58.4
1996 21.9 49.5 48.7 61.6 54.7
1997 21.8 49.2 48.4 60.3 54.2
1998 22.1 49.4 48.7 60.8 53.4
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002.

Death Rates from Suicide, 1979 to 1998

Year Age-Adjusted Death Rates per 100,000 Population
All Races Males
Females Males White Black Non-White
1979 6.3 19.9 20.7 12.7 13.0
1980 5.7 19.9 20.9 11.4 11.6
1981 6.0 19.8 20.9 11.4 11.5
1982 5.8 20.4 21.6 11.2 11.1
1983 5.5 20.4 21.6 11.1 11.2
1984 5.6 20.9 22.1 11.7 11.6
1985 5.2 21.1 22.4 11.9 11.7
1986 5.5 21.9 23.2 12.2 12.1
1987 5.3 21.7 23.0 12.8 12.7
1988 5.1 21.2 22.5 12.2 11.9
1989 4.9 21.0 22.3 13.0 12.4
1990 4.8 21.5 22.8 12.8 12.5
1991 4.7 21.2 22.5 13.0 12.6
1992 4.7 20.6 21.9 12.6 12.1
1993 4.6 20.9 22.1 13.0 12.6
1994 4.5 20.7 21.9 12.9 12.8
1995 4.4 20.6 21.9 12.5 12.3
1996 4.3 20.0 21.3 11.9 11.7
1997 4.4 19.4 20.6 11.4 11.7
1998 4.3 19.2 20.6 10.6 11.0
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002.

Death Rates from Homicide, 1979 to 1998

Year Age-Adjusted Death Rates per 100,000 Population
All Races Males
Females Males White Black Non-White
1979 4.2 15.6 9.6 67.5 58.7
1980 4.4 16.6 10.4 69.4 59.2
1981 4.2 16.0 10.0 67.2 56.5
1982 4.1 14.7 9.2 60.3 50.5
1983 3.8 12.9 8.2 52.5 43.9
1984 3.8 12.4 7.9 49.8 41.1
1985 3.8 12.2 7.7 48.4 39.6
1986 4.0 13.2 8.0 53.8 43.9
1987 4.0 12.4 7.4 51.6 41.6
1988 4.0 12.9 7.4 55.2 44.1
1989 4.0 13.5 7.6 57.6 45.8
1990 4.0 14.8 8.3 63.1 49.5
1991 4.3 15.7 8.7 66.0 51.6
1992 4.0 15.1 8.5 61.7 48.0
1993 4.2 15.1 8.1 63.4 49.5
1994 3.9 14.6 8.1 59.1 46.1
1995 3.8 13.1 7.4 51.8 40.5
1996 3.5 11.9 6.6 47.1 36.5
1997 3.2 11.2 6.4 43.1 33.4
1998 3.1 10.0 5.8 38.4 29.5
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002.

Suicide Rate for Males as Percent of Population

Year Male Suicide Rate per 100,000 Males 15-24 as % of Population
1979 69.5 9.1
1980 69.0 9.1
1981 65.1 9.0
1982 59.9 8.8
1983 58.0 8.6
1984 57.6 8.4
1985 57.1 8.2
1986 57.2 8.1
1987 56.4 7.9
1988 57.0 7.7
1989 54.9 7.5
1990 52.9 7.6
1991 50.7 7.4
[Continued]

Suicide Rate for Males as Percent of Population [Continued]

Year Male Suicide Rate per 100,000 Males 15-24 as % of Population
1992 48.6 7.3
1993 50.1 7.2
1994 50.1 7.1
1995 50.2 7.0
1996 49.5 7.0
1997 49.2 7.0
1998 49.4 7.0
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002. Population data from U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Male Suicides in 1999 by Age

Age Group Number of Suicides Percent of Total
10-14 192 0.8
15-19 1,347 5.7
20-24 1,979 8.4
25-34 4,194 17.9
35-44 5,019 21.4
45-54 3,854 16.4
55-64 2,255 9.6
65 and over 4,618 19.7
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002. "Suicide Among Black Youths-United States, 1980-1995," Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Centers for Disease Control, March 20, 1998.

Historical Suicide Rates per 100,000 Population, Both Sexes, All Races

Year Suicide Rate
1900 10.2
1910 15.3
1920 10.2
1930 15.6
1940 14.4
1950 11.4
[Continued]

Historical Suicide Rates per 100,000 Population, Both Sexes, All Races [Continued]

Year Suicide Rate
1960 10.6
1970 11.6
1980 11.9
1990 12.4
2000 10.0
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002. U.S. Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States, 1975.

Suicide Rates of Whites and Blacks, Both Sexes, 1979 to 1998

Data are age-adjusted rates per 100,000 population.
Year Suicide Rate
Whites Blacks
1979 12.9 6.9
1980 12.7 6.0
1981 12.9 6.1
1982 13.2 6.0
1983 13.1 5.8
1984 13.5 6.2
1985 13.4 6.3
1986 14.0 6.5
1987 13.8 6.7
1988 13.5 6.8
1989 13.2 7.1
1990 13.5 6.9
1991 13.3 6.7
1992 13.0 6.8
1993 13.1 7.0
1994 12.9 7.0
1995 12.9 6.7
1996 12.7 6.5
1997 12.4 6.2
1998 12.4 5.7
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/default.htm, May 29, 2002.

Low-Birthweight (LBW) Live Births, Selected Years

Low-birthweight babies weigh less than 2,500 grams at birth. Superlow- birthweight babies weigh less than 1,500 grams.
LBW as % of Live Births LBW Singletons (% of Live Birth)
All Races Whites Blacks Superlow Births All Races Whites Blacks
1970 7.93 6.85 13.90 1.17 NA NA NA
1975 7.38 6.27 13.19 1.16 NA NA NA
1980 6.84 5.72 12.69 1.15 5.96 4.90 11.46
1985 6.75 5.65 12.65 1.21 5.80 4.77 11.35
1990 6.97 5.70 13.25 1.27 5.90 4.68 11.86
1995 7.32 6.22 13.13 1.35 6.05 4.98 11.59
2000 7.80 6.70 13.10 1.45 6.00 4.99 11.15
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health, United States, 2001. For 2000 data: National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 50, No. 5, February 12, 2002.

Breastfeeding Rates, Selected Years

Data for 1970-71 for Whites and Blacks includes Hispanics.
Percent of Mothers Who Breast-fed
Breast-fed in Hospital Breast- fed 3 Month or More
All Races Non-Hispanic White Non-Hispanic Black Hispanic
1970-71 24.9 26.4 10.8 NA 12.3
1972-74 30.1 32.5 12.5 33.1 18.8
1975-77 36.7 38.9 16.8 42.9 24.3
1978-80 47.5 53.2 19.6 46.3 30.7
1981-83 58.1 64.3 26.0 52.8 39.7
1984-86 54.5 59.7 22.9 58.9 34.4
1987-89 52.3 58.3 21.0 51.3 32.2
1990-92 54.2 59.1 22.9 58.8 33.1
1993-94 58.1 61.2 27.4 67.4 32.7
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, data from National Survey of Family Growth, published in Health, United States, 1994 and 2001.

Infant Mortality Rate, 1980 to 1999

Infants are under one year of age. The rate is expressed as deaths per 1,000 live births.
Year All Races Both Sexes
Both Sexes Girls Boys Whites Blacks
1980 12.6 11.2 13.9 10.9 22.2
1981 11.9 10.7 13.1 10.3 20.8
1982 11.5 10.2 12.8 9.9 20.5
1983 11.2 10.0 12.3 9.6 20.0
1984 10.8 9.6 11.9 9.3 19.2
1985 10.6 9.3 11.9 9.2 19.0
1986 10.4 9.1 11.5 8.8 18.9
1987 10.1 8.9 11.2 8.5 18.8
1988 10.0 8.9 11.0 8.4 18.5
1989 9.8 8.8 10.8 8.1 18.6
1990 9.2 8.1 10.3 7.6 18.0
1991 8.9 7.8 10.0 7.3 17.6
1992 8.5 7.6 9.4 6.9 16.8
1993 8.4 7.4 9.3 6.8 16.5
1994 8.0 7.2 8.8 6.6 15.8
1995 7.6 6.8 8.3 6.3 15.1
1996 7.3 6.6 8.0 6.1 14.7
1997 7.2 6.5 8.0 6.0 14.2
1998 7.2 6.5 7.8 6.0 14.3
1999 7.1 6.4 7.7 5.8 14.6
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 49, No. 8 and 11, September 21, 2001 and October 12, 2001.

Infant Mortality-50 Years of Decline

Infants are under one year of age. The rate is expressed as deaths per 1,000 live births.
Year All races White Non-White Black
Both Male Female Both Male Female Both Male Female Both Male Female
1940 47.0 52.5 41.3 43.2 48.3 37.8 73.8 82.2 65.2 72.9 81.1 64.6
1950 29.2 32.8 25.5 26.8 30.2 23.1 44.5 48.9 39.9 43.9 48.3 39.4
1960 26.0 29.3 22.6 22.9 26.0 19.6 43.2 47.9 38.5 44.3 49.1 39.4
1970 20.0 22.4 17.5 17.8 20.0 15.4 30.9 34.2 27.5 32.6 36.2 29.0
1980 12.6 13.9 11.2 11.0 12.3 9.6 19.1 20.7 17.5 21.4 23.3 19.4
1990 9.2 10.3 8.1 7.6 8.5 6.6 15.5 17.0 14.0 18.0 19.6 16.2
1999 7.1 7.7 6.4 5.8 6.4 5.2 11.9 12.9 10.9 14.6 15.9 13.2
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 49, No. 8 and 11, September 21, 2001 and October 12, 2001.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) in Decline, 1983 to 1998

Table updated from CDC sources past 1994. Data show deaths per 1,000 live birth in the year.
White Black
1983 1.226 2.698
1984 1.232 2.533
1985 1.237 2.332
1986 1.210 2.447
1987 1.184 2.368
1988 1.216 2.380
1989 1.182 2.402
1990 1.107 2.306
1991 1.102 2.328
1992 1.012 2.184
1993 0.970 2.189
1994 0.851 1.941
1995 0.948 2.217
1996 0.818 2.319
1997 0.804 2.172
1998 0.773 2.137
Source: "Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, United States, 1983-1994", Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Vol. 45, No. 40, October 11, 1996.

Estimated Life Expectancy at Birth in Years

All races White Black1
Both sexes Male Female Both sexes Male Female Both sexes Male Female
1948 67.2 64.6 69.9 68.0 65.5 71.0 60.0 58.1 62.5
1949 68.0 65.2 70.7 68.8 66.2 71.9 60.6 58.9 62.7
1950 68.2 65.6 71.1 69.1 66.5 72.2 60.8 59.1 62.9
1951 68.4 65.6 71.4 69.3 66.5 72.4 61.2 59.2 63.4
1952 68.6 65.8 71.6 69.5 66.6 72.6 61.4 59.1 63.8
1953 68.8 66.0 72.0 69.7 66.8 73.0 62.0 59.7 64.5
1954 69.6 66.7 72.8 70.5 67.5 73.7 63.4 61.1 65.9
1955 69.6 66.7 72.8 70.5 67.4 73.7 63.7 61.4 66.1
1956 69.7 66.7 72.9 70.5 67.5 73.9 63.6 61.3 66.1
1957 69.5 66.4 72.7 70.3 67.2 73.7 63.0 60.7 65.5
1958 69.6 66.6 72.9 70.5 67.4 73.9 63.4 61.0 65.8
1959 69.9 66.8 73.2 70.7 67.5 74.2 63.9 61.3 66.5
1960 69.7 66.6 73.1 70.6 67.4 74.1 63.6 61.1 66.3
1961 70.2 67.1 73.6 71.0 67.8 74.6 64.5 62.0 67.1
1962 70.1 66.9 73.5 70.9 67.7 74.5 64.2 61.6 66.9
1963 69.9 66.6 73.4 70.8 67.4 74.4 63.7 61.0 66.6
1964 70.2 66.8 73.7 71.0 67.7 74.7 64.2 61.3 67.3
[Continued]

Estimated Life Experctancy at Birth in Years [Continued]

Both sexes Male Female Both sexes Male Female Both sexes Male Female
1965 70.2 66.8 73.8 71.1 67.6 74.8 64.3 61.2 67.6
1966 70.2 66.7 73.9 71.1 67.5 74.8 64.2 60.9 67.6
1967 70.5 67.0 74.3 71.4 67.8 75.2 64.9 61.4 68.5
1968 70.2 66.6 74.1 71.1 67.5 75.0 64.1 60.4 67.9
1969 70.5 66.8 74.4 71.4 67.7 75.3 64.5 60.6 68.6
1970 70.8 67.1 74.7 71.7 68.0 75.6 64.1 60.0 68.3
1971 71.1 67.4 75.0 72.0 68.3 75.8 64.6 60.5 68.9
1972 71.2 67.4 75.1 72.0 68.3 75.9 64.7 60.4 69.1
1973 71.4 67.6 75.3 72.2 68.5 76.1 65.0 60.9 69.3
1974 72.0 68.2 75.9 72.8 69.0 76.7 66.0 61.7 70.3
1975 72.6 68.8 76.6 73.4 69.5 77.3 66.8 62.4 71.3
1976 72.9 69.1 76.8 73.6 69.9 77.5 67.2 62.9 71.6
1977 73.3 69.5 77.2 74.0 70.2 77.9 67.7 63.4 72.0
1978 73.5 69.6 77.3 74.1 70.4 78.0 68.1 63.7 72.4
1979 73.9 70.0 77.8 74.6 70.8 78.4 68.5 64.0 72.9
1980 73.7 70.0 77.4 74.4 70.7 78.1 68.1 63.8 72.5
1981 74.1 70.4 77.8 74.8 71.1 78.4 68.9 64.5 73.2
1982 74.5 70.8 78.1 75.1 71.5 78.7 69.4 65.1 73.6
1983 74.6 71.0 78.1 75.2 71.6 78.7 69.4 65.2 73.5
1984 74.7 71.1 78.2 75.3 71.8 78.7 69.5 65.3 73.6
1985 74.7 71.1 78.2 75.3 71.8 78.7 69.3 65.0 73.4
1986 74.7 71.2 78.2 75.4 71.9 78.8 69.1 64.8 73.4
1987 74.9 71.4 78.3 75.6 72.1 78.9 69.1 64.7 73.4
1988 74.9 71.4 78.3 75.6 72.2 78.9 68.9 64.4 73.2
1989 75.1 71.7 78.5 75.9 72.5 79.2 68.8 64.3 73.3
1990 75.4 71.8 78.8 76.1 72.7 79.4 69.1 64.5 73.6
1991 75.5 72.0 78.9 76.3 72.9 79.6 69.3 64.6 73.8
1992 75.8 72.3 79.1 76.5 73.2 79.8 69.6 65.0 73.9
1993 75.5 72.2 78.8 76.3 73.1 79.5 69.2 64.6 73.7
1994 75.7 72.4 79.0 76.5 73.3 79.6 69.5 64.9 73.9
1995 75.8 72.5 78.9 76.5 73.4 79.6 69.6 65.2 73.9
1996 76.1 73.1 79.1 76.8 73.9 79.7 70.2 66.1 74.2
1997 76.5 73.6 79.4 77.2 74.3 79.9 71.1 67.2 74.7
1998 76.7 73.8 79.5 77.3 74.5 80.0 71.3 67.6 74.8
1999 76.7 73.9 79.4 77.3 74.6 79.9 71.4 67.8 74.7
2000 76.9 74.1 79.5 77.4 74.8 80.0 71.8 68.3 75.0
Source: National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 47, No. 28, December 13, 1999, National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Notes: 1. Prior to 1970, data for the black population are not available. Data shown for 1948-69 are for the nonwhite population.
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