| Show Comparison of Causes of Death During 1994-1998 Between LDS and non-LDS in Utah Sterling Hilton Ph Ray Merrill Ph P Jared Sturgeon S Abstract Previous studies have identified Utah as having the lowest rates of heart disease and cancer in the United States This fact has been attributed to very low levels of tobacco smoking among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints LDS who make up about 70 of the statepopulation This study compares leading causes of death during 1994-1998 for LDS and non-LDS groups in Utah Comparisons are made for both males and females in five 20-year age groups State death records were linked to LDS deceased membership records usingprobabilistic linkage program in order to determine religious status For both men and women in the three oldest age groups 40-59 60-79 80 the five leading causes of death and their ranks were almost identical between the LDS and non-LDS groups The leading causes of death were also similar for the LDS and non-LDS groups in the two younger age groups 1-19 20-39 however their ranks were often different Age-specific mortality rates indicated that for pracically all the leading causes of death the non-LDS group had significantly higher rates than the LDS Introduction Disease burden is reflected by the number of disease cases or deaths inspecified population overgiven period of time The burden of disease has direct public health implications in terms of direct individual costs suffering disability or death and social costs planning health resources and services Brown and Fintor 1995 Death refiects the uliimate burden of disease Historically the age-adjusted mortality rate has been the most objective and frequently used measure for evaluating progress against disease Bailar and Gornick 1997 Kramer and Klausner 1997 In the United States reduction in childhood deaths during the first 70 years of this century represent significant strides in reducing the occurrence of infectious disease Over the last 30 years declining mortality has been primarily observed in middle-aged people chiefly because of declining levels of heart disease Consequently life expectancy in the United States has steadily increased over the last century from 49 24 in 1900-02 to 76in 1997 Anderson 1999 Life expectancy in Utah is relatively high National Center for Health Statistics 1998 primarily because people in the state experience the lowest mortality rates of heart disease and cancer in the United States Greenlee et al 2000 Lyon et al 1978 Merrill Lindsay and Lyon 1999 This has been largely attributed to several generations of comparatively low rates of tobacco smoking in Utah Merril Lindsay and Lyon 1999 In 1998 the percentage of adults 18 years or older that currently smoke was 14 in Utah compared to 22 in the United States Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Lower levels of tobacco System 1998 smoking in Utah may be explained at least in part by the infiuence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints LDS whose members are commonly called Mormons About 70 of the statepopulation is affiliated with the LDS Church Merrill 1999 and the LDS Church hasstrict health code that proscribes use of tobacco among its members as well as the consumption of alcohol coffee and tea The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1989 From an epidemiological perspective Utah providespopulation in which health outcomes can be compared between LDS and non-LDS without the possible complication of confounding factors related to geographic variation Studies have shown that lower incidence and mortality rates of heart disease and cancer in Utah are generally observed among LDS with non-LDS tending to experience rates similar to those in the United States Greenlee et al 2000 Gardner and Lyon 1977 Lyon Gardner and Gress 1994 Lyon Gardner and West 1980 and 1988 Enstrom 1975 Lyon et al 1976 Whether church activity playsrole in cancer mortality rates among LDS men and women has also been considered Enstrom 1978 and 1980 Gardner and Lyon 1982a and 1982b The Digital image 2005 Marriott Library University of Utah Al rights reserved |
