Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Behavioral Factors Affecting Ethnic Mortality by Cause

Abstract

This article examines ethnic differences in total and cause-specific mortality. We employ the linked National Health Interview Survey-National Death Index (NHIS-NDI) to examine ethnic differences in mortality from a combination of demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristic perspectives. We find that Asian American mortality is low in part because of healthy behaviors and socioeconomic advantages; that Caucasian American mortality is higher partly because of high prevalence and quantity of cigarette smoking; and that Mexican, Native, and African American mortality is higher partly from socioeconomic disadvantages. These results give us added insight into the demographic, social, and health mechanisms that lead us to persevere or to perish