HEALTH STATUS

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Leading Causes of Death

There were 1.2 million female deaths in 1999. Diseases of the heart, malignant neoplasms (cancer), and cerebrovascular diseases (stroke) were the three leading causes of death for both males and females. A larger proportion of females than males died in 1999 of stroke, diabetes, and influenza, while nearly twice as many males as females died due to accidents (unintentional injuries).

For the three leading causes of death among females, there is significant variability in the death rates by race and ethnicity. In 1999, non-Hispanic White women were nearly four times more likely to die from heart disease as Asian/Pacific Islander women. Cancer deaths were nearly four times greater among White women than Hispanic women. For both cancer and stroke, similar racial/ethnic patterns were observed, with non-Hispanic White females having the highest rate, followed by non-Hispanic Black, Asian Pacific Islander, American Indian, and Hispanic females, respectively.


In 1999, Heart Disease was the leading cause of death for both men and women (representing 29.9% and 30.7% of deaths, respectively), followed by "Other" (23.1%, 23.6%), and Cancer was in 3rd place (24.3% and 21.7%).

 

In 1999, heart disease was the leading cause of death for females of all races, followed by cancer and stroke. The death rate per 100,000 for heart disease was 314.2 for non-Hispanic whites, 233.3 for non-Hispanic blacks, 79.0 for Hispanics, 91.0 for American Indians, and 70.1 for Asian/Pacific Islanders.

 

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