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Relationship between population density and rates of injury mortality in New York State (exclusive of New York City), 1978–1982
Author(s) -
Relethford John H.,
Mahoney Martin C.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
american journal of human biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.559
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1520-6300
pISSN - 1042-0533
DOI - 10.1002/ajhb.1310030206
Subject(s) - demography , population , residence , homicide , population density , mortality rate , socioeconomic status , injury prevention , poison control , ethnic group , medicine , geography , gerontology , environmental health , sociology , anthropology
The relationship between population density and rates of mortality from unintentional and intentional injuries is examined using mortality data from New York State (exclusive of New York City), 1978–1982. Records for 26,118 individuals with an underlying cause of death due to injury were assigned to population density quintiles based on residence of decedent at time of death. Mortality rates for each population density quintile were examined separately by sex and for 11 causes of injury death. Overall, injury mortality is highest in the most rural and most urban populations. For both sexes, there is an inverse relationship between mortality from motor vehicle incidents and population density, and a positive relationship between homicide and population density. Male mortality from unintentional poisoning deaths shows a positive relationship with population density. Male mortality from fires shows a U‐shaped relatinship with population density, with the highest mortality in the most rural and most urban populations. The relationships observed here between injury mortality and population density are most likely due to concomitant variation with aspects of the physical and cultural environments, such as socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and individual risk behaviors.