Dive Brief:
- Preventable deaths dropped significantly from 2010 to 2014 for three of the five leading causes of death in the U.S. — cancer (25%), stroke (11%), and heart disease (4%) — new data from the CDC shows.
- However, preventable deaths significantly increased for unintentional injuries (23%), primarily as a result of drug overdoses and falls.
- The percentage remained mostly steady for the fifth leading cause of preventable death — chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD) — which increased by 1%. This category includes asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema.
Dive Insight:
The CDC report shines another light on the rising issue of drug overdose, which has already been shown to be a major factor in the U.S. losing its momentum on increasing longevity. As the CDC reported in April, the average life expectancy has remained stagnant since 2010 and has actually gone down for white women due to suicide, drug overdoses, and complications from alcohol and smoking.
In addition, the findings tie in with CDC reports from earlier this year that highlighted heart disease as the most common cause of death, and breast cancer death rates to be down though racial disparities remain a key issue.
The new data from the National Vital Statistics System further illustrate that the preventable death rates vary significantly by state. Overall, the Southeast (Region 4) continued to have the most preventable deaths in every category from 2010 to 2014. In 2014, the Northwest (Region 10) had the fewest preventable deaths for cancer, stroke, and heart disease, while New York and New Jersey (Region 3) had the fewest for CLRD.
Public health officials can use the data to target regional strategies toward improvement in population health as the report suggests the decreases in preventable deaths can be attributed to successful efforts around prevention, early detection, and treatment.