Causes of Death in 1980 and 2014

DISCUSSION BOARD FORUM 2 PROMPT
Topic – Causes of Death in 1980 and 2014
According to the 1980 Census, the United States population was approximately 226,540,000 in
1980, and according to US Census Bureau estimates, approximately 317,300,000 at the
beginning of 2014. Using Census data for 1980 and estimates derived from mortality data and
census estimates for 2014, we arrive at the population estimates given in the table below:
Year Total Population Ages 15–24 Ages 25–44 Ages 45–64
1980 226,540,000 42,475,000 62,707,000 44,497,000
2014 317,300,000 46,000,000 87,000,000 80,000,000
The National Center for Health Statistics published a document entitled “Health, United States,
2015: With Special Feature on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities” that includes a table listing
the leading causes of death in both 1980 and 2014 for various categories of Americans. Under
the Project Instructions link in Blackboard, you’ll find Discussion Board Forum 2: Data; this is a
spreadsheet showing the leading causes of death in both 1980 and 2014 for these 3 age
categories. Each of the first 3 questions has both a computational part and a discussion part. To
get full credit for each of the discussion parts please support the reason you provide by citing a
reference. This should not be an excessively difficult task: you can easily find information
online for most of the illnesses or other causes listed in the report. All you need to do is provide
the website you used (though other resources are also permitted if you prefer to use one of
those).
1. Assuming that the population numbers in the above table are relatively accurate, use the
Discussion Board Forum 2: Data spreadsheet to compute the deaths per 1000 people for
each age group in both 1980 and 2014. Do not round your answer to the nearest whole
number, provide at least 2 decimal places. Give these 6 values (e.g. deaths per 1000
people for ages 15–24 in 1980) and then cite a reference to discuss what might account
for the changes between the deaths per 1000 in 1 of these 3 age categories between 1980
and 2014. Your discussion should be at least 40 words.
solution
Death rate= Number of Deaths
Total population per age group∗1000
1980
Age group 15−24
¿ 49,027
42,475,000∗1000=1.15 deaths per 1000 people
Age group 25−44
¿ 108,658
62,707,000∗1000=1.73 deaths per 1000 people
Age group 45−64

¿ 425,338
44,497,000∗1000=9.56 deaths per 1000 people
2014
Age group 15−24
¿ 28,791
46,000,000∗1000=0.63 deaths per 1000 people
Age group 25−44
¿ 118,173
87,000,000∗1000=1.36 deaths per 1000 people
Age group 45−64
¿ 524,725
80,000,000∗1000=6.56 deaths per 1000 people
The death rate in the year 1980 for age group 45-64 was higher than in the 2014 with the
main causes of death being malignant neoplasms and disease of the heart. The reduction
in the death rate in the year 2014 according to (GBD 2015) is as a result of advancement
development mainly in the field of medicine through research and provision of better
health care and also raising the public awareness of the importance of keeping a healthy
living.
2. Besides the changes in the overall death rate in the past 3 decades, the leading causes of
death vary somewhat between 1980 and 2014. Choose 1 of the 3 age ranges and select 1
cause of death from the Discussion Board Forum 2: Data spreadsheet that strikes you as
noteworthy and that appears in both the 1980 and 2014 lists. For the cause of death that
you selected, compute the number of deaths per 1000 in both 1980 and 2014 for your
chosen age group. Do not round your answer to the nearest whole number, provide at
least 2 decimal places. Cite a reference to discuss the possible reasons for any changes in
the rates over this period. Your discussion should be at least 40 words.
S olution
The age group chosen is 45-64 where the main cause of death being malignant
neoplasms which rose from the second position in the year 1980 and lead in 2014.
1980
Malignant neoplasma deaths=135,675
population=44,497,000
¿ 135,675
44,497,000∗1000=3.05 deaths per 1000 people
2014
Malignant neoplasma deaths=160,116
population=80,000,000
¿ 160,116
80,000,000∗1000=2.00 deaths per 1000 people