Nutrition Guidelines

Health Statistics

Leading Causes of Death, Latest Data

60% of all deaths in the
U.S. are caused by three causes: heart disease,
cancer, and stroke.

What are your leading health hazards? What are you most likely to die from? It doesn't sound like a pleasant topic, but by knowing your risks you can take preventive action. The National Center for Health Statistics puts out health statistics for the U.S. every year, the latest issue just released is called Health, United States, 2002. Here are our nations leading causes of death.

Leading Causes of Death	# of Deaths/year
1. Heart disease	710,760
2. Cancer	553,091
3. Stroke	167,661
4. Chronic lung disease	122,009
5. Accidents	97,900
6. Diabetes	69,301
7. Flu and pneumonia	65,313
8. Alzheimer's disease	49,558
9. Kidney disease	37,251
10. Septicemia	31224
11. Suicide	29,199

You can quickly see that the first 3, heart disease, cancer, and stroke make up nearly 2/3 of all causes of death (60%). Designing a strategy for good health to prevent these top three diseases should be a top priority. View "Leading Causes of Death" PP slide.

Other newly released mortality stats:

Over 28,000 people die yearly in America from firearms
Over 14,000 people die from AIDS yearly
For Asian/Pacific Islander populations, cancer is the leading cause of death
Life expectancy reached a record high this year of 76.9 years at birth

Wellness

Reference

References

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NCHS, Health, United States, 2002

Making Healthy Choices articles are written by Don Hall, DrPH, CHES president of LifeLong Health with contributions from associated health professionals. Content is general health information from evidence based research. It's purpose is not to treat disease or take the place of advice by your doctor but to promote healthy lifestyles. Persons with health problems should contact their physician for specific guidance.

Updated: 2-27-03 DRH