[russellw]

Following on from the cause of death statistics we looked at yesterday, here are some more facts from that data.

The national US average for deaths from heart disease is 165 / 100k but males are 61% more likely to die from it than females. Whites are almost exactly on that average (164.4) but blacks are 23% higher (202.4) while American Indians, Hispanics and Latinos are ~30% lower and Asians are almost half that rate (85.4).

Likewise, the national US average for deaths from cancer is 152.5 / 100k but males are 30% more likely to die from it than females. Whites are almost exactly on that average (153.7) but blacks are 12% higher (172.8) while American Indians, Hispanics and Latinos are ~35% lower and Asians are almost 40% of that rate (85.4).

The national US average for deaths from Influenza / Pneumonia is 14.3 / 100k but males are (again) 30% more likely to die from it than females. Whites are almost exactly on that average (14.2) and blacks are only fractionally higher (14.9) while American Indians and Asians are ~10% lower and Hispanic / Latino races are almost 20% lower (11.3).

Blacks also don't fare well with Diabetes (80% higher than the average and 91% higher than whites).

Perhaps better health care would be a good start?

In fact, about the only causes of death that black are lower in are:

Chronic lower respiratory disease where the white rate is 45 and blacks 29.4, 28% lower than the national average of 40.9/100k and 33% lower than whites. Interestingly, the rate for Asia Pacific races (11.9) is 70% lower than the average.

Liver disease where the national average is 10.9/100k. Whites are a bit higher at 11.7 and blacks 33% lower than the average at 7.3/100k and 38% lower than whites. Men are also almost twice as likely to die from it than women and for some reason American Indians have 2.5x the national average at 23.6/100k and even Hispanic/Latino races are 31% higher.

Alzheimer's where the national average is 31.0/100k and whites are near that (32.3) with blacks 10% lower than the average and 14% lower than whites.

As an (unrelated) aside, the only cause of death where women do worse than men in the US national averages is Alzheimer's where their rate is 27% higher.