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Biomedical subjects

I Rosenwaike

Publications and source records attributed to I Rosenwaike.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Age reporting among white Americans aged 85+: results of a record linkage study.

This study investigates age reporting on the death certificates of older white Americans. We link a sample of death certificates for native-born whites aged 85+ in 1985 to Social Security Administration records and to records of the U.S. censuses of 1900, 1910, and 1920. When ages in these sources are compared, inconsistencies are found to be minimal, even beyond age 95. Results show little distortion and no systematic biases in the reported age distribution of deaths. To explore the effect of age misreporting on old-age mortality, we estimate "corrected" age-specific death rates by the extinct-generation method for the U.S. white cohort born in 1885. With few exceptions, corrected and uncorrected rates in single years differ by less than 3% and are not systematically biased. When we compare corrected rates with those for the same birth cohort in France, Japan, and Sweden, we find that white American mortality at older ages is exceptionally low.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed1996

Can data from the decennial census measure trends in mobility limitation among the aged?

We evaluate whether trends in the prevalence of disability among the aged can be investigated using the 1980 U.S. Census' public transportation question and the 1990 query on mobility limitation. Despite the obvious difference in the two questions, we found remarkable similarity in major cross-sectional patterns, such as those by age and sex, when comparing results from the two data sets. This result, coupled with the large number of observations available in the U.S. censuses, suggests that census data may be a suitable data source to study mobility limitation patterns in the small subgroups of the population that are frequently underrepresented in sample surveys.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1996

African-American mortality at older ages: results of a matching study.

In this paper we investigate the quality of age reporting on death certificates of elderly African-Americans. We link a sample of death certificates of persons age 65+ in 1985 to records for the same individuals in U.S. censuses of 1900, 1910, and 1920 and to records of the Social Security Administration. The ages at death reported on death certificates are too young on average. Errors are greater for women than for men. Despite systematic under-reporting of age at death, too many deaths are registered at ages 95+. This excess reflects an age distribution of deaths that declines steeply with age, so that the base for upward transfers into an age category is much larger than the base for the transfers downward and out. When corrected ages at death are used to estimate age-specific death rates, African-American mortality rates increase substantially above age 85 and the racial "crossover" in mortality disappears. Uncertainty about white rates at ages 95+, however, prevents a decisive racial comparison at the very oldest ages.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1994

Causes of death among elderly Jews in New York City, 1979-1981.

Important differentials in mortality exist among ethnic and religious groups in the US but available statistics frequently preclude their examination. In the absence of mortality data for US Jews researchers have developed various alternatives, including using New York City's unique coding of death certificates according to religious affiliation of cemetery. Based on mortality rates for a sample of Medicare enrollees assumed to be representative of the Jewish population, in combination with New York City death record data, estimated death rates by sex and cause of death are developed for that city's elderly Jewish population. Comparisons made with rates for the white population of New York indicate low death rates for smoking-related diseases (lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases) among Jewish males. Other findings include above-average mortality from breast cancer among 65-74 year old Jewish women and from pancreatic cancer among Jewish women aged > or = 85. Below average mortality for both sexes is estimated for cerebrovascular disease and accidents, and for males from prostate cancer. The estimates produced are consistent with data from previous studies.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Using surname data in U.S. Puerto Rican mortality analysis.

Evidence suggests that among mainland-born decedents. Hispanic (particularly Puerto Rican) origin may have been underreported in states that have added an ancestry item to their death certificates. This study uses the 1980 Census Bureau Spanish-surname list to code surnames on New York City death certificates. By examining the correspondence between surname type and the response to the ancestry item, we identify potential underreporting of Hispanic ethnicity for Spanish-surnamed decedents. A surname-based method then is used to adjust mortality data for mainland-born Puerto Rican decedents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Mortality among three Puerto Rican populations: residents of Puerto Rico and migrants in New York City and in the balance of the United States, 1979-81.

"This study attempts to explain similarities and differences in the mortality experience of three population groups: Puerto Ricans on the island commonwealth, Puerto Rican born persons in New York City and Puerto Rican born persons in the rest of mainland United States. Mortality is much higher among Puerto Ricans in New York City than among those residing elsewhere. Much of the difference is due to excess mortality caused by cirrhosis of the liver and homicide. Puerto Rican born persons living on the mainland but outside New York City generally have low mortality, even when compared with U.S. whites."

Americas↗
PubMed1990

Mortality patterns among elderly American Jews.

"Mortality studies of ethnic and religious subgroups within a nation are of interest as they provide indicators of health differentials that may result from differences in life style and risk-factor exposures. The mortality experience of North American Jews has been documented over many years and is of particular interest because of the unusual pattern that has been observed, a crossover from relatively low rates at younger ages to relatively high rates at older ages. This study examines mortality in 1979-81 among more than 100,000 Medicare enrollees who held 22 surnames common among American Jews. The findings substantiate those of a recent mortality study of a Canadian Jewish population which indicated more rapid improvement in life expectancy among elderly Jewish than non-Jewish males, and a lessening of the relative disadvantage of elderly Jewish women."

Age Factors↗
PubMed1989

Differential mortality by ethnicity: foreign-born Irish, Italians and Jews in New York City, 1979-81.

This paper compares the mortality experience of foreign-born Irish, Italians and Jews in New York City in 1979-81. For the Irish and Italian groups, 1980 census data were used to calculate age-specific and age-standardized death rates. For the Jewish group, denominator data were not available, so proportional mortality analysis was used. An estimate was made to show the degree to which standardized proportional mortality ratios approximated relative standard mortality measures. Major causes of death and other selected causes were examined. The results of this analysis support previous studies showing mortality is significantly greater among Irish-born immigrants than among the Italian born. The proportional mortality data suggest that the Jewish and Italian groups have cause of death distributions relatively similar to each other and dissimilar to the Irish group. Alcohol-related causes of death appear to be a major source of the uniqueness of the Irish mortality experience.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Changes in mortality among Cubans in the United States following an episode of unscreened migration.

This paper discusses the effect of the Mariel migration, a massive boatlift from Cuba to the United States in 1980, on mortality among Cuban Americans. Estimates of the Cuban-born population in the US were made for 1979 and 1981, the years prior to and following the boatlift. A comparison of age-adjusted rates showed that while general mortality did not change greatly (an increase of only about 5%), there was a 151% increase in homicide mortality. The increase in the homicide rate among Cubans in metropolitan Miami (Dade County), the major area of concentration, was 109%; it was still greater among Cubans elsewhere (240%). The demographic differences between the Mariel migrants who settled in Dade and those who were settled elsewhere are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Errors in reporting education on the death certificate: some findings for older male decedents from New York State and Utah.

This paper examines possible biases in death certificate data on education that may be used in studies of mortality and socioeconomic status. By means of a matching study conducted in 1987, self-reported education level in a large-scale survey (Cancer Prevention Study II) is compared with education as subsequently reported by next of kin on death certificates in upstate New York and in Utah. These are the only two states that presently have an education item on the certificates. In both state samples, agreement was highest for high school graduates and for those with graduate school education. Overall agreement was 68%, indicating serious problems in the accuracy of education reporting. Possible systematic biases in the new death certificate item on education are indicated.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Migration patterns of the elderly: the case of the American Jewish population.

"This article examines the growing concentration of the elderly Jewish population of the U.S. in one metropolitan region of the Sun Belt. The principal data sources used are U.S. Census counts of the population with a Yiddish mother tongue or speaking Yiddish at home, as well as 1980 data on the population of Russian ancestry. The limitations of these measures are discussed and data from local community surveys also are presented. The data show that relocation of the elderly from the North, especially to South Florida, has been occurring since the 1950s and accelerated during the 1970s. The need for further study, which may document the migration patterns of elderly members of diverse religions and ethnic groups, is pointed out."

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Violent deaths among Mexican-, Puerto Rican- and Cuban-born migrants in the United States.

This paper analyzes nationwide and regional mortality rates for violent causes of death among persons born in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba, living in the continental United States. The Mexican-born had the highest death rates from accidents, the Puerto Rican-born from homicide and the Cuban-born from suicide. In each case of excess mortality in an Hispanic nativity group, the death rates for men by cause were higher than the comparative rates for white and blacks both nationally and regionally. Mortality rates for their major cause of violent death were highest for the Puerto Rican-born and Cuban-born men in their areas of concentration. Mexican-born men had higher accident death rates outside their areas of concentration. Contributing factors to violent causes of death include the interaction of socioeconomic, behavioral, cultural and psychological factors.

Accidents↗
PubMed1987

Mortality among Hispanics in metropolitan Chicago: an examination based on vital statistics data.

This paper analyzes the mortality of Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans residing in the Chicago metropolitan area. In a comparison of these two groups with nonHispanic whites in the same area, it was found that Hispanic mortality is unusually low for the two leading causes of death in the mainstream U.S. population. Explanations discussed include underdiagnosis, underreporting of illness, the "healthy migrant" thesis and possible return migration of elderly ill.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Mortality differentials among persons born in Cuba, Mexico, and Puerto Rico residing in the United States, 1979-81.

This paper examines the mortality experience in 1979-81 of three first generation Hispanic subpopulations in the United States, as defined by area of birth (Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico). Numerators were derived from National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) mortality tapes, which included codes for selected places of birth appearing on the death certificate. Denominators were based on decennial census data for these migrant populations from the 1980 census. Generally, mortality is relatively high among Cuban-born, Mexican-born and Puerto Rican-born adolescents and young adults, particularly males, largely due to violent deaths. Aged migrants, despite their disadvantaged socioeconomic status, exhibit relatively low death rates from heart disease and cancer.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Trends in cancer mortality among Puerto Rican-born migrants to New York City.

Age-standardized cancer death rates in Puerto Rican-born males and females residing in New York City have been calculated for 1979-81, and compared with those for white non-Puerto Rican-born people. For all population groups the rates in 1979-81 have been compared with rates in 1969-71. For some cancer sites, in particular cancers of the lung, breast and ovary, the Puerto Rican migrant population exhibited rates well below those of other residents of New York at both time periods. For other sites, most notably colon cancer (and to a lesser extent, prostate and bladder cancer), the rates for Puerto Ricans were somewhat lower than those of other New Yorkers in 1979-81, but had very markedly increased from levels shown in the earlier period. The Puerto Rican-born population at each time period had considerably higher rates of stomach cancer and cervical cancer than did 'other' white New Yorkers. Although substantial reductions in risk for these sites occurred among Puerto Ricans during the intercensal period examined, these corresponded to the reductions among 'other' white New York residents. The trends are discussed with reference to differences in lifestyle patterns, especially diet.

Colonic Neoplasms↗
PubMed1985

A demographic portrait of the oldest old.

Persons aged 85 years and over have been the most rapidly growing group for some time, although their numbers are yet relatively small. However meager the official data, they do reveal striking differences from other Americans, including a unique sex ratio, higher rates of institutionalization, and lower family income. Examination of recent demographic trends portends the direction of future changes among the oldest old.

Aged↗