National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS)

Objectives:

To investigate social, economic, demographic and occupational differentials in mortality (total and by cause) within a national sample of the U.S. population.

Background:

Large national studies of mortality, especially cardiovascular mortality, by occupation, industry, income, education or other socioeconomic factors are rare. From the studies that do exist, however, it is clear that strong relationships exist between socioeconomic factors and mortality. These relationships may be influenced by and may account for differences in mortality by race, ethnic origin, or geographic factors. To study these relationships in detail, large studies, inclusive of the ethnic, social and economic diversity of the U.S., are needed.

Subjects:

A national sample of the U.S. population, as identified from the Current Population Survey (CPS) of the Bureau of the Census (n=637,162). The full study is larger, 1.3 million persons, but for confidentiality reasons, a subset of 5 of the original 12 Current Population Surveys is provided for the limited access data set.

Design:

Records from the Current Population Surveys (CPS) of March 1979, April 1980, August 1980, December 1980, and March 1981 are matched to the National Death Index to identify the occurrence and cause of death between 1979 and 1989. Extensive demographic, social, economic, and occupation information is collected in the CPS. The linkage of the individual social and economic data with the mortality outcomes provides the resource for extensive analysis.