A new Geographical Information Systems (GIS) map and corresponding research reveal the most distinctive causes of death between 2001 and 2010 for each U.S. state.
The map, created by researchers from the New York State Cancer Registry and the New York State Department of Health, illustrates a variety of distinctive causes of death based on a wide range of number of deaths. The largest number of deaths mapped for any cause was the 37,292 deaths in Michigan due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, while the smallest number was the 11 deaths in Montana attributed to acute and rapidly progressive nephritic and nephrotic syndrome.
Some of the findings make intuitive sense, researchers say, like the higher number of deaths due to influenza in some Northern states, more pneumoconioses in coal-mining states, and more air and water accidents in Alaska. The geographic linkages for other deaths - such as deaths from septicemia in New Jersey and deaths by legal intervention in three Western states - are not as immediately apparent.
"Although chronic disease prevention efforts should continue to emphasize the most common conditions, an outlier map such as this one should also be of interest to public health professionals, particularly insofar as it highlights nonstandard cause-of-death certification practices within and between states that can potentially be addressed through education and training," according to researchers.
Article: The Most Distinctive Causes of Death by State, 2001-2010, Francis P. Boscoe, PhD, New York State Cancer Registry,