Meadville and Barton are two small communities in the Northeast. During the 2005
ID: 123574 • Letter: M
Question
Meadville and Barton are two small communities in the Northeast. During the 2005 calendar year, the overall mortality rate due to unintentional injury among 15–29 year olds were similar in both communities.
a. First, based on the data provided in the table below, provide the crude mortality rates (per 1,000) due to unintentional injury for Meadville and Barton, respectively. What do these rates indicate? Are they comparable? Show why they are or are not.
b. Provide an age-adjusted mortality rate (per 1,000) due to unintentional injury rate using the direct standardization approach for each community based on the data in the table below. Use the joint population as the standard. Compare and interpret your results.
Meadville Barton Age Population # Deaths Population # Deaths 15-19 200 14 1000 20 20-24 1200 36 100 14 25-29 800 12 400 12 All ages 2200 62 1500 46Explanation / Answer
a. Crude Mortality Rates = (Total residents death / total population ) * 1000
Meadville : Crude Mortality Rates = (62/2200) * 1000 = 28.18
Barton : Crude Mortality Rates = ( 46/1500) * 1000 = 30.66
In this case, Barton has high crude mortality rates.
Crude rate is an overall average rate of disease, but does not take into account possioble confounding factors. In this case, age is an independent risk factor for mortality, but it has to be studied whether there is a difference in mortality without age difference.
b. Age-adjusted mortality rate = (number of death for a specific age group/ population of that age group)*1000
The age-specific mortality rates are different for Meadville and Barton.
Medville Barton Age population death death rate population death death rate 15-19 200 14 70 1000 20 20 20-24 1200 36 30 100 14 140 25-29 800 12 15 400 12 30 all ages 2200 62 28.18 1500 46 30.6