OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate racial differences in preference for life-sustaining interventions in the context of various physical and mental health scenarios. DESIGN Data were collected by using an investigator-administered survey. SETTING AND PATIENTS Consecutive patients who self-identified as African American or Caucasian were recruited from two private primary c...

OBJECTIVES The objective of this article is to provide estimates of life expectancy for White, Black, and Hispanic populations by socioeconomic factors. Effects of educational, income, employment, and marital status on life expectancy are presented and interpreted. DESIGN The National Longitudinal Mortality Study, consisting of a number of Current Population Surveys (CPS) linked to mortality ...

To the Editor: Understanding the causes of black-white differences in mortality has important consequences for interventions to reduce health inequalities in the United States. A previous report found a nearly 2-year decline in the blackwhite life expectancy gap among men and a 1-year decline among women between 1993 and 2003. We investigated whether these changes have continued in recent years...

We use a life course approach to guide an investigation of relationships and health at the nexus of race and gender. We consider childhood as a sensitive period in the life course, during which significant adversity may launch chains of disadvantage in relationships throughout the life course that then have cumulative effects on health over time. Data from a nationally representative panel stud...

BACKGROUND In samples of African Americans and the elderly adults, obesity is often not found to be a risk factor for mortality. These data contradict the evidence linking obesity to chronic disease in these groups. Our objective was to determine whether obesity remains a risk factor for mortality among long-lived black adults. METHODS The Adventist Health Study 2 is a large prospective cohor...

OBJECTIVES Previous research on differences between Black and White older adults has produced inconsistent results on whether a gap in disability exists and whether it persists over time. The present research identifies several reasons for the inconsistent results to date and examines Black/White differences in disability trajectories over 6 years. METHODS Data from the North Carolina Establi...

~ We compared the early life history of black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) in Richmond (an impoundment) and Brant (a natural lake) lakes during 1994-1996. We expected variable recruitment (i.e., missing year classes) in the natural lake and more consistent recruitment in the impoundment. Larval black crappie abundance was always higher in Richmond Lake than Brant Lake. Peak abundance of lar...

INTRODUCTION We estimate life expectancy and average years of life lost (AYLL) after an HIV diagnosis using population-based surveillance data from 25 states that have had name-based HIV surveillance since 1996. METHODS We used US national HIV surveillance data (cases > or = 13 years old) to model life expectancy after an HIV diagnosis using the life table approach. We then compared life expe...

OBJECTIVES 1) To describe stressful life events as experienced by a sample of young Black men with high blood pressure (HBP) living in inner-city Baltimore, Maryland; and 2) to examine the effect of cumulative stressful life events on substance use, depression, and quality of life. METHODS Data were obtained over 48 months by interview from 210 men in an HBP management study. RESULTS Stress...

Objectives-This report presents complete period life tables for the United States by race, Hispanic origin, and sex, based on age-specific death rates in 2014. Methods-Data used to prepare the 2014 life tables are 2014 final mortality statistics; July 1, 2014 population estimates based on the 2010 decennial census; and 2014 Medicare data for persons aged 66-99. The methodology used to estimate ...