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Friday, September 13, 2002Infant mortality: The portion of babies dying before their first birthday hit a record low in 2000, reaching 6.9 per 1,000 live births. That rate has fallen 75 percent since 1950. Young deaths: Mortality among children and young adults, between 1 and 24 years old, declined by more than half since 1950. Researchers credited drops in death rates in accidents, cancer, heart disease and infectious diseases. Homicide and suicide rates generally increased over the half century, though they have been falling since the mid-1990s. Adults: Death among adults ages 25 to 44 declined by more than 40 percent between 1950 and 1999. During the mid-1990s, HIV was the leading cause of death for this age group, but these rates have fallen significantly. Older adults: Mortality among adults ages 45 to 64 fell by nearly 50 percent, including drops in heart disease, stroke and injury. Cancer is the leading cause of death in this group, and those death rates rose slowly through the 1980s and then began to decline. Heart disease: Much of the improvement in life expectancy is traced to falling heart disease rates. In 1950, just over 585 people in the United States developed heart disease for every 100,000. By 1999, that had been more than cut in half, falling to just under 268 people per 100,000. Stroke: In 1950, nearly 181 of every 100,000 people died of stroke and other cerebrovascular disease. By 1999, it was just 62 per 100,000. The report says that deaths from diabetes and the incidence of diabetes are going up, and blames it on obesity. But, if the incidence of strokes and heart attacks is going down, it could be that the diabetics are no longer dying from these diseases at the high rates of the past, leaving them free to die of diabetes instead. The rising incidence of diabetes could be because we’re fatter, but it could also be because we’re getting older. Never fear, though, the health activists will be sure to use the numbers to get more funding for obesity programs and obesity research. posted by Sydney on 9/13/2002 07:17:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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