Death that occurs before the average age of death in a certain population. In the United States, the average age of death is about 75 years. Smoking cigarettes and being exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke are leading causes of premature death in the United States.

Risk factors for premature death include obesity, smoking and exposure to environmental hazards such as reduced air quality. Risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes and physical inactivity are also risk factors for premature death.

The top risk factors for premature mortality are diet, high blood pressure, obesity, and tobacco use, he reported. Tobacco remains the second leading risk factor, despite the 37 percent decrease over two decades in age-standardized rates in current smoking prevalence.

In an Annual Review of Public Health report by Lee and Paxman,15 20% of premature deaths were attributed to genetic factors, 20% to socioeconomic factors, and 10% to inadequacies of medical care.

Four factors—poor diet, high blood pressure, obesity, and tobacco use—were identified as primary causes of early death (defined as occurring before age 86) in the United States, according to the study led by Christopher Murray, of the University of Washington.

In reality, the major causes of chronic diseases are known, and if these risk factors were eliminated, at least 80% of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes would be prevented; over 40% of cancer would be prevented.

Terms in this set (38)

• Tobacco use.
• Poor diet.
• Lack of exercise.
• Alcohol abuse.

The factors affecting death are age, sex, diseases, heredity, nutritional level, health facility and services and health education. Three of them are described below: Age: Mortality rates are different in different age group. Mortality is high among children and old people but it is low among youths.

The five leading causes of death among teenagers are Accidents (unintentional injuries), homicide, suicide, cancer, and heart disease. Accidents account for nearly one-half of all teenage deaths.

What is added by this report? In 2018, 51.8% of US adults had at least 1 chronic condition, and 27.2% had multiple chronic conditions. Prevalence was highest among women, non-Hispanic white adults, adults aged 65 or older, and those living in rural areas.

Health is influenced by factors in five domains – genetics, social circumstances, environmental exposures, behavioral patterns, and health care. When it comes to reducing early deaths, medical care has a relatively minor role. [These five domains are his determinants of premature death.]

The single greatest opportunity to improve health and reduce premature deaths lies in personal behavior [emphasis added]. In fact, behavioral causes account for nearly 40% of all deaths in the United States.

Premature Mortality in the United States: Public Health Issues in the Use of Years of Potential Life Lost. The number of deaths for each age is then multiplied by the years of life lost (the difference between the designated 65-year end point and the midpoint of the age range) to give an age-specific YPLL.

Potentially Preventable Deaths from the Five Leading Causes of Death. Entire Infographicpdf icon. Each year, nearly 900,000 Americans die prematurely from the five leading causes of death – yet 20 percent to 40 percent of the deaths from each cause could be prevented, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwgWCAWw3O0