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Life Expectancy and Mortality rates in 2000
This may be of interest.
-- John
John Jacobus, MS
Certified Health Physicist
3050 Traymore Lane
Bowie, MD 20715-2024
E-mail: jenday1@email.msn.com (H)
-----Original Message-----
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2001 12:03:51 -0400
From: "Henneghan, Martha (HHS/OS)" <MARTHA.HENNEGHAN@HHS.GOV>
Subject: HHS PRESS RELEASE--LIFE EXPECTANCY HITS NEW HIGH IN 2000; MORTALI
TY
DECLINES FOR SEVERAL LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH
Date: October 10, 2001
For Release: Immediately
Contact: CDC/NCHS Press Office
(301) 458-4800
Headline: LIFE EXPECTANCY HITS NEW HIGH IN 2000; MORTALITY DECLINES
FOR SEVERAL LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH
Life expectancy for the U.S. population reached a record high of 76.9 years
in 2000 as mortality declined for several leading causes of death, according
to preliminary figures from a report released today by HHS' Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Americans on average are living longer than ever before, and much of this
is due to the progress we've made in fighting diseases that account for a
majority of deaths in the country," HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said.
"But we can do even more by eating right, exercising regularly and taking
other simple steps to promote good health and prevent serious illness and
disease."
The estimates are featured in a new CDC report, "Deaths: Preliminary Data
for 2000," an analysis of over 85 percent of the death certificates recorded
in the United States for 2000.
The report shows that age-adjusted death rates continued to fall for heart
disease and cancer, the two leading causes of death in the U.S. that account
for more than half of all deaths in the country each year. Mortality from
heart disease has declined steadily since 1950, while cancer mortality has
been on the decline since 1990.
Age-adjusted death rates also fell for other leading causes of death,
including: homicide, suicide, accidents or "unintentional injuries," stroke,
diabetes, chronic lower respiratory diseases, and chronic liver disease and
cirrhosis.
In addition, the preliminary infant mortality rate in the U.S. fell to its
lowest level ever in 2000 - 6.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, down
from a rate of 7.1 in 1999.
"A healthy pregnancy is a major factor in reducing the risk of infant
death," said CDC Director Jeffrey Koplan. "Timely prenatal care and
avoiding harmful behavior like smoking are two examples of how pregnant
mothers can protect the health of their infants."
The report also shows that mortality decreased by 3.7 percent for HIV
infection in 2000, the fifth straight year of decline. After increasing
every year between 1987 and 1994 at an average of 16 percent annually, HIV
mortality leveled off in 1995, dropped 29 percent in 1996, 48 percent in
1997, and 21 percent in 1998, before slowing to a 3.6 percent decline in
1999.
Meanwhile, mortality increased for certain leading causes of death,
including Alzheimer's disease, influenza and pneumonia, kidney disease,
hypertension, septicemia, and pneumonitis due to solids and liquids, a
condition that disproportionately affects the aging population and which
emerged for the first time as one of the 15 leading causes of death.
"Information is often the most effective weapon we have against many of
these problems, and having timely data gives us better information," said
Dr. Edward Sondik, director of CDC's National Center for Health Statistics,
which prepared the report.
Information on causes of death is recorded on death certificates by
physicians, medical examiners and coroners, and reported to the state vital
statistics offices. Demographic information is provided by funeral
directors, based on information from informants, who are usually family
members.
The report can be found online at the CDC Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs.
###
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are
available at www.hhs.gov/news.
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