Dataset Information

County-Level Trends in Suicide Rates in the U.S., 2005-2015.

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION:Understanding the geographic patterns of suicide can help inform targeted prevention efforts. Although state-level variation in age-adjusted suicide rates has been well documented, trends at the county-level have been largely unexplored. This study uses small area estimation to produce stable county-level estimates of suicide rates to examine geographic, temporal, and urban-rural patterns in suicide from 2005 to 2015. METHODS:Using National Vital Statistics Underlying Cause of Death Files (2005-2015), hierarchical Bayesian models were used to estimate suicide rates for 3,140 counties. Model-based suicide rate estimates were mapped to explore geographic and temporal patterns and examine urban-rural differences. Analyses were conducted in 2016-2017. RESULTS:Posterior predicted mean county-level suicide rates increased by >10% from 2005 to 2015 for 99% of counties in the U.S., with 87% of counties showing increases of >20%. Counties with the highest model-based suicide rates were consistently located across the western and northwestern U.S., with the exception of southern California and parts of Washington. Compared with more urban counties, more rural counties had the highest estimated suicide rates from 2005 to 2015, and also the largest increases over time. CONCLUSIONS:Mapping county-level suicide rates provides greater granularity in describing geographic patterns of suicide and contributes to a better understanding of changes in suicide rates over time. Findings may inform more targeted prevention efforts as well as future research on community-level risk and protective factors related to suicide mortality.

SUBMITTER: Rossen LM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6038117 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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County-Level Trends in Suicide Rates in the U.S., 2005-2015.

Rossen Lauren M LM Hedegaard Holly H Khan Diba D Warner Margaret M

American journal of preventive medicine 20180514 1

<h4>Introduction</h4>Understanding the geographic patterns of suicide can help inform targeted prevention efforts. Although state-level variation in age-adjusted suicide rates has been well documented, trends at the county-level have been largely unexplored. This study uses small area estimation to produce stable county-level estimates of suicide rates to examine geographic, temporal, and urban-rural patterns in suicide from 2005 to 2015.<h4>Methods</h4>Using National Vital Statistics Underlying ...[more]

PMID: 29773489

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Project description:INTRODUCTION:Strong evidence shows that lifestyle change and weight loss stimulated by counseling improve glycemic control and lower comorbidities for patients with diabetes, but it is unclear whether diet or physical activity counseling for patients with diabetes in ambulatory settings has actually been responsive to this evidence. METHODS:Data from the 2005-2015 National Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys were used to assess trends in provider-reported diet or exercise counseling during ambulatory care visits. The data were pooled and multivariate logistic regression models were built, adjusting for patient-, provider-, and practice-level characteristics to examine whether the provision of counseling varied by these characteristics. Data were analyzed from September 2018 to December 2018. RESULTS:There were 42,234 adults with diabetes and 272,094 adults without diabetes. The proportions of patients with provider-reported Type 2 diabetes who received any diet or exercise counseling were no different over time, 30% in 2005 (95% CI=25%, 35%) and 25% in 2015 (95% CI=18%, 31%). Lower proportions of those without diabetes received any counseling, 17% in 2005 (95% CI=14%, 19%) and 15% in 2015 (95% CI=11%, 18%). Adjusted models showed that Hispanic patients had a higher likelihood of receiving diet or exercise counseling, compared with whites (OR=1.38, 95% CI=1.09, 1.75). Those aged 30-49 years were more likely to receive diet or exercise counseling than those aged >75 years (OR=1.51, 95% CI=1.27, 1.80). Compared with rural areas and other providers, visits in a metropolitan area (OR=1.27, 95% CI=1.09, 1.47) or with an advanced practice provider (OR=1.66, 95% CI=1.00, 2.75) had a higher likelihood of any diet or exercise counseling delivery. CONCLUSIONS:Less than 30% of Americans with diabetes receive diet or exercise counseling in ambulatory visits, and this proportion has not changed significantly in a decade. Future interventions should focus on addressing this gap in counseling.

Project description:ImportanceUnderstanding geographic and community-level factors associated with suicide can inform targeted suicide prevention efforts.ObjectivesTo estimate suicide rates and trajectories, assess associated county-level contextual factors, and explore variation across the rural-urban continuum.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional study included all individuals aged 25 to 64 years who died by suicide from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2016, in the United States. Spatial analysis was used to map excess risk of suicide, and longitudinal random-effects models using negative binomial regression tested associations of contextual variables with suicide rates as well as interactions among county-level contextual variables. Data analyses were conducted between January 2019 and July 2019.ExposureCounty of residence.Main outcomes and measuresThree-year county suicide rates during an 18-year period stratified by rural-urban location.ResultsBetween 1999 and 2016, 453 577 individuals aged 25 to 64 years died by suicide in the United States. Decedents were primarily male (349 082 [77.0%]) with 101 312 (22.3%) aged 25 to 34 years, 120 157 (26.5%) aged 35 to 44 years, 136 377 (30.1%) aged 45 to 54 years, and 95 771 (21.1%) aged 55 to 64 years. Suicide rates were higher and increased more rapidly in rural than in large metropolitan counties. The highest deprivation quartile was associated with higher suicide rates compared with the lowest deprivation quartile, especially in rural areas, although this association declined during the period studied (rural, 1999-2001: incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.438; 95% CI, 1.319-1.568; P < .001; large metropolitan, 1999-2001: 1.208; 95% CI, 1.149-1.270; P < .001; rural, 2014-2016: IRR, 1.121; 95% CI, 1.032-1.219; P = .01; large metropolitan, 2014-2016: IRR, 0.942; 95% CI, 0.887-1.001; P = .06). The presence of more gun shops was associated with an increase in county-level suicide rates in all county types except the most rural (rural: IRR, 1.001; 95% CI, 0.999-1.004; P = .40; micropolitan: IRR, 1.005; 95% CI, 1.002-1.007; P < .001; small metropolitan: IRR, 1.010; 95% CI, 1.006-1.014; P < .001; large metropolitan: IRR, 1.012; 95% CI, 1.006-1.018; P < .001). High social capital was associated with lower suicide rates than low social capital (IRR, 0.917; 95% CI, 0.891-0.943; P < .001). High social fragmentation, an increasing percentage of the population without health insurance, and an increasing percentage of veterans in a county were associated with higher suicide rates (high social fragmentation: IRR, 1.077; 95% CI, 1.050-1.103; P < .001; percentage of population without health insurance: IRR, 1.005; 95% CI, 1.004-1.006; P < .001; percentage of veterans: IRR, 1.025; 95% CI, 1.021-1.028; P < .001).Conclusions and relevanceThis study found that suicide rates have increased across the nation and most rapidly in rural counties, which may be more sensitive to the impact of social deprivation than more metropolitan counties. Improving social connectedness, civic opportunities, and health insurance coverage as well as limiting access to lethal means have the potential to reduce suicide rates across the rural-urban continuum.

Project description:County-level patterns in mortality rates by cause have not been systematically described but are potentially useful for public health officials, clinicians, and researchers seeking to improve health and reduce geographic disparities.To demonstrate the use of a novel method for county-level estimation and to estimate annual mortality rates by US county for 21 mutually exclusive causes of death from 1980 through 2014.Redistribution methods for garbage codes (implausible or insufficiently specific cause of death codes) and small area estimation methods (statistical methods for estimating rates in small subpopulations) were applied to death registration data from the National Vital Statistics System to estimate annual county-level mortality rates for 21 causes of death. These estimates were raked (scaled along multiple dimensions) to ensure consistency between causes and with existing national-level estimates. Geographic patterns in the age-standardized mortality rates in 2014 and in the change in the age-standardized mortality rates between 1980 and 2014 for the 10 highest-burden causes were determined.County of residence.Cause-specific age-standardized mortality rates.A total of 80?412?524 deaths were recorded from January 1, 1980, through December 31, 2014, in the United States. Of these, 19.4 million deaths were assigned garbage codes. Mortality rates were analyzed for 3110 counties or groups of counties. Large between-county disparities were evident for every cause, with the gap in age-standardized mortality rates between counties in the 90th and 10th percentiles varying from 14.0 deaths per 100?000 population (cirrhosis and chronic liver diseases) to 147.0 deaths per 100?000 population (cardiovascular diseases). Geographic regions with elevated mortality rates differed among causes: for example, cardiovascular disease mortality tended to be highest along the southern half of the Mississippi River, while mortality rates from self-harm and interpersonal violence were elevated in southwestern counties, and mortality rates from chronic respiratory disease were highest in counties in eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia. Counties also varied widely in terms of the change in cause-specific mortality rates between 1980 and 2014. For most causes (eg, neoplasms, neurological disorders, and self-harm and interpersonal violence), both increases and decreases in county-level mortality rates were observed.In this analysis of US cause-specific county-level mortality rates from 1980 through 2014, there were large between-county differences for every cause of death, although geographic patterns varied substantially by cause of death. The approach to county-level analyses with small area models used in this study has the potential to provide novel insights into US disease-specific mortality time trends and their differences across geographic regions.

Dataset Information

County-Level Trends in Suicide Rates in the U.S., 2005-2015.

Publications

County-Level Trends in Suicide Rates in the U.S., 2005-2015.

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