Mortality among elderly hispanics in the United States: Past evidence and new results
DemographyPublished 1 February 2004Open access
Irma T. Elo, Cássio M. Turra, Bert Kestenbaum, B. Reneé Ferguson
Citations141
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score2.36
SNIP1.95
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TL;DR
A Hispanic mortality advantage relative to non-Hispanic whites that holds for most Hispanic subgroups is revealed and a new methodology for inferring Hispanic origin from a combination of surname, given name, and county of residence is presented.
Abstract
We used vital records and census data and Medicare and NUMIDENT records to estimate age- and sex-specific death rates for elderly non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics, including five Hispanic subgroups: persons born in Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, other foreign countries, and the United States. We found that corrections for data errors in vital and census records lead to substantial changes in death rates for Hispanics and that conventionally constructed Hispanic death rates are lower than rates based on Medicare-NUMIDENT records. Both sources revealed a Hispanic mortality advantage relative to non-Hispanic whites that holds for most Hispanic subgroups. We also present a new methodology for inferring Hispanic origin from a combination of surname, given name, and county of residence.
Keywords
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