Week 1: Life Expectancy

Question 1

Define these terms:
- Morbidity
- CoMorbidity
- Mortality
- Mortality (death) rate
- Thanatology
- Dying trajectories

Answer 1

• Morbidity: The rate of occurrence of disease
• CoMorbidity: multiple illnesses/conditions
• Mortality: death
• Mortality (death) rate: The number of deaths per 1,000 population
• Thanatology: study of death-related behavior including actions and emotions concerned with dying, death and bereavement
• Dying trajectories: lingering, unexpected quick

Question 2

What does life expectancy mean?

Answer 2

The average number of years of life remaining at any specified age (birth, or, at another age)
- Average life expectancy in the US is 77 years

Question 3

What does life span mean?

Answer 3

Fixed biological constant; maximum number of years a person can expect to live

Question 4

People who are over 100 are called what? What percentage of them are women?

Answer 4

Centenarians; 80%

Question 5

What is the total number of deaths in 1900 vs. 2020

Answer 5

It has been gradually increasing, but spike in 2019 mainly due to COVID

Question 6

What was the leading cause of death in 1900

Answer 6

1. Influenza and Pneumonia
2. Tuberculosis
3. Gastritis
4. Diseases of the heart
5. Vascular lesions affecting the CNS

Cause of death, acute illness/infectious disease

Question 7

What are the leading cause of death in 1920?

Answer 7

1. Influenze and Pneumonia
2. Diseases of the heart
3. Tuberculosis
4. Vascular lesions affecting the CNS
5. Nephritis

Cause of death, acute illness/infectious disease

Question 8

What are the leading cause of death in 1940?

Answer 8

1. Diseases of the heart
2. Cancer
3. Intracranial lesions of vascular origin
4. Nephritis
5. Pneumonia
6. Accidents

Cause of death: chronic

Question 9

What are the leading causes of death in 1960?

Answer 9

1. Diseases of the heart
2. Cancer
3. Vascular lesions affecting the CNS
4. Accident (motor vehicles and others)
5. Certain diseases of early infancy

Cause of death: chronic

Question 10

What are the leading causes of death in 1980

Answer 10

1. Diseases of the heart
2. Cancer
3. Ceebrovascular disease
4. Accidents
5. Chronic obstruction pulmonary disease

Cause of death: chronic

Question 11

What are the leading causes of death in 2019?

Answer 11

1. Heart disease
2. Malignant Neoplasms
3. Unintentional injury
4. Chronic, low respiratory disease
5. Cerebrovascular
6. Alzheimers disease

Question 12

What are the leading causes of death in 2020?

Answer 12

1. Heart disease
2. Malignant Neoplasms
3. COVID19
4. Unintentional injury
5. Cerebrovascular disease

Question 13

What is the percent of deaths from COVID-19 65 and older?

Answer 13

75%

Question 14

What is the leading cause of death in 2021?

Answer 14

Heart Disease

Question 15

What is the average life expectancy in 2019?

Answer 15

78.8

Question 16

What is the average life expectancy in 2020?

Answer 16

77

Question 17

What is the racial/ethnic group with the highest life expectancy?

Answer 17

Non-Hispanic Asian

Question 18

COVID-19 – who is mostly like to die from COVID? When did it first enter into death data?

Answer 18

• Older people or people with underlying health conditions
• 2020

Question 19

What is the year difference at birth and at 65?

Answer 19

• 5.1 years
• 2.6 years

Question 20

Who has the highest life expectancy and who has the lowest?

Answer 20

• Highest: Non-hispanic Asian female 85.8
• Lowest: Non-Hispanic American Indian or alaskan native male 63.8

Question 21

Mortality crossover – what is it and when does it happen? Who benefits?

Answer 21

Refers to when life expectancy of certain groups (African Americans and American Indians) exceeds the life expectancy of white. This generally happens around the age of 80 or 85