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Estimated deaths attributable to social factors in the united states

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  • Galea, S.
  • Tracy, M.
  • Hoggatt, K.J.
  • DiMaggio, C.
  • Karpati, A.

Abstract

Objectives: We estimated the number of deaths attributable to social factors in the United States. Methods: We conducted a MEDLINE search for all English-language articles published between 1980 and 2007 with estimates of the relation between social factors and adult all-cause mortality. We calculated summary relative risk estimates of mortality, and we obtained and used prevalence estimates for each social factor to calculate the population-attributable fraction for each factor. We then calculated the number of deaths attributable to each social factor in the United States in 2000. Results: Approximately 245000 deaths in the United States in 2000 were attributable to low education, 176000 to racial segregation, 162000 to low social support, 133000 to individual-level poverty, 119000 to income inequality, and 39000 to area-level poverty. Conclusions. The estimated number of deaths attributable to social factors in the United States is comparable to the number attributed to pathophysiological and behavioral causes. These findings argue for a broader public health conceptualization of the causes of mortality and an expansive policy approach that considers how social factors can be addressed to improve the health of populations.

Suggested Citation

  • Galea, S. & Tracy, M. & Hoggatt, K.J. & DiMaggio, C. & Karpati, A., 2011. "Estimated deaths attributable to social factors in the united states," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 101(8), pages 1456-1465.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2010.300086_5
    DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2010.300086
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    1. Salma M. Abdalla & Nason Maani & Catherine K. Ettman & Sandro Galea, 2020. "Claiming Health as a Public Good in the Post-COVID-19 Era," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 63(2), pages 200-204, December.
    2. Thompson, Tess & Rodebaugh, Thomas L. & Pérez, Maria & Struthers, James & Sefko, Julianne A. & Lian, Min & Schootman, Mario & Jeffe, Donna B., 2016. "Influence of neighborhood-level factors on social support in early-stage breast cancer patients and controls," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 55-63.
    3. Montez, Jennifer Karas & Zhang, Wencheng & Zajacova, Anna & Hamilton, Tod G., 2018. "Does college major matter for women's and men's health in midlife? Examining the horizontal dimensions of educational attainment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 130-138.
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    5. Spittel, Michael L. & Riley, William T. & Kaplan, Robert M., 2015. "Educational attainment and life expectancy: A perspective from the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 203-205.
    6. Steven Deller & Amber Canto & Laura Brown, 2015. "Rural poverty, health and food access," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(2), pages 61-74, June.
    7. Nicolle A Mode & Michele K Evans & Alan B Zonderman, 2016. "Race, Neighborhood Economic Status, Income Inequality and Mortality," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(5), pages 1-14, May.
    8. Zimmerman, Frederick J., 2013. "Habit, custom, and power: A multi-level theory of population health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 47-56.
    9. Henry S Kahn & Kai McKeever Bullard & Lawrence E Barker & Giuseppina Imperatore, 2012. "Differences between Adiposity Indicators for Predicting All-Cause Mortality in a Representative Sample of United States Non-Elderly Adults," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(11), pages 1-12, November.
    10. De Neve, Jan-Walter & Kawachi, Ichiro, 2017. "Spillovers between siblings and from offspring to parents are understudied: A review and future directions for research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 56-61.
    11. Muennig, Peter, 2015. "Can universal pre-kindergarten programs improve population health and longevity? Mechanisms, evidence, and policy implications," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 116-123.
    12. Sarah E. Dehry & Patrick M. Krueger, 2023. "Excess Deaths in the United States Compared to 18 Other High-Income Countries," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(2), pages 1-14, April.
    13. Rehm, Colin D. & Moudon, Anne V. & Hurvitz, Philip M. & Drewnowski, Adam, 2012. "Residential property values are associated with obesity among women in King County, WA, USA," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(3), pages 491-495.
    14. McCrea, Katherine Tyson & Richards, Maryse & Quimby, Dakari & Scott, Darrick & Davis, Lauren & Hart, Sotonye & Thomas, Andre & Hopson, Symora, 2019. "Understanding violence and developing resilience with African American youth in high-poverty, high-crime communities," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 296-307.
    15. Rigaud Joseph, 2017. "The War on Poverty Then and Now: A Plan Toward Ultimate Victory," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(2), pages 209-223, June.
    16. Naomi Duke & Ross Macmillan, 2016. "Schooling, skills, and self-rated health: A test of conventional wisdom on the relationship between educational attainment and health," Working Papers 087, "Carlo F. Dondena" Centre for Research on Social Dynamics (DONDENA), Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi.
    17. Benjamin D. Sommers, 2017. "State Medicaid Expansions and Mortality, Revisited: A Cost-Benefit Analysis," American Journal of Health Economics, MIT Press, vol. 3(3), pages 392-421, Summer.
    18. Sarah H. Gordon & Benjamin D. Sommers, 2016. "Recessions, Poverty, and Mortality in the United States: 1993–2012," American Journal of Health Economics, MIT Press, vol. 2(4), pages 489-510, Fall.
    19. Luciano de Andrade & Vanessa Zanini & Adelia Portero Batilana & Elias Cesar Araujo de Carvalho & Ricardo Pietrobon & Oscar Kenji Nihei & Maria Dalva de Barros Carvalho, 2013. "Regional Disparities in Mortality after Ischemic Heart Disease in a Brazilian State from 2006 to 2010," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(3), pages 1-10, March.
    20. Jennifer Karas Montez & Anna Zajacova & Mark D. Hayward & Steven H. Woolf & Derek Chapman & Jason Beckfield, 2019. "Educational Disparities in Adult Mortality Across U.S. States: How Do They Differ, and Have They Changed Since the Mid-1980s?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(2), pages 621-644, April.
    21. Michelle L. Kaiser & Michelle D. Hand & Erica K. Pence, 2020. "Individual and Community Engagement in Response to Environmental Challenges Experienced in Four Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-25, March.
    22. Andrea Fleisch Marcus & Alex H Illescas & Bernadette C Hohl & Adana A M Llanos, 2017. "Relationships between social isolation, neighborhood poverty, and cancer mortality in a population-based study of US adults," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(3), pages 1-13, March.
    23. Evans, Linnea & Engelman, Michal & Mikulas, Alex & Malecki, Kristen, 2021. "How are social determinants of health integrated into epigenetic research? A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    24. Guanghuai Zheng & Xinyi Zhang & Yean Wang & Mingzi Ma, 2021. "The Strengthening Mechanism of the Relationship between Social Work and Public Health under COVID-19 in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-16, September.
    25. Thompson, Tess & Pérez, Maria & Kreuter, Matthew & Margenthaler, Julie & Colditz, Graham & Jeffe, Donna B., 2017. "Perceived social support in African American breast cancer patients: Predictors and effects," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 134-142.

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