Researchers examined U.S. mortality data from Jan. 1, 2000, to Dec. 31, 2015, collected from death certificates by the CDC Prevention National Center for Health Statistics. They gathered county attributes from the 2011-15 Census American Community Survey. The research team estimated premature mortality for all causes and drug poisoning, by county, for the periods of 2000-03 and 2012-15. Premature death was defined as the death of individuals between the ages of 25 and 64 years.
Researchers found that premature all-cause mortality declined from 2000-03 to 2012-15 among black and Latino people but increased among white people in several U.S. counties. Drug poisoning mortality increased throughout the U.S.
Drug poisoning mortality increased in counties with the lowest socioeconomic status and in rural counties, however, the most deaths during 2012-15 occurred in the largest metropolitan counties.
“Increasing drug poisoning mortality was not limited to poor white people in rural areas,” study authors concluded. “Rapid increases have occurred in communities throughout the USA regardless of race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or rurality. Widespread public health interventions are needed to address this public health emergency.”
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