Table 1.
Number of Potentially Preventable Deaths Among Younger Adults Aged <45 Years According to Quartiles of the Social Vulnerability Index, 2014 to 2018
| First Quartile | Second Quartile | Third Quartile | Fourth Quartile | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social vulnerability index | 59 (15-104) | 349 (80-1,102) | 1,180 (156-1,999) | 1,246 (388-1,482) |
| Components of social vulnerability index | ||||
| Socioeconomic vulnerability index | 82 (37-173) | 234 (101-1,102) | 1,279 (466-2,024) | 1,301 (709-1,740) |
| Household composition and disability vulnerability index | 92 (19-176) | 154 (76-1,102) | 1,331 (388-2,024) | 1,076 (611-1,184) |
| Minority status/language vulnerability index | 85 (59-1,180) | 294 (85-1,265) | 1,031 (100-1,456) | 191 (105-926) |
| Housing type/transportation vulnerability index | 144 (55-234) | 137 (76-1,260) | 802 (166-1,316) | 388 (101-1,246) |
| Cardiovascular disease subtypes | ||||
| Ischemic heart disease | 9 (1-37) | 63 (15-236) | 340 (17-484) | 386 (72-421) |
| Stroke | 1 (0-4) | 30 (3-76) | 91 (6-189) | 150 (21-161) |
| Heart failure | 6 (5-8) | 11 (4-45) | 48 (6-88) | 75 (3-113) |
| Sex and race | ||||
| Non-Hispanic White men | 48 (40-133) | 222 (82-533) | 484 (220-811) | 399 (203-482) |
| Non-Hispanic White women | 0 (0-0) | 2 (1-3) | 122 (0-233) | 111 (0-144) |
| Non-Hispanic Black men | 16 (0-50) | 153 (8-473) | 153 (62-621) | 511 (64-613) |
| Non-Hispanic Black women | 2 (0-11) | 69.5 (0-168) | 78 (20-298) | 294 (33-376) |
| County type | ||||
| Metropolitan | 18 (1-44) | 300 (79-931) | 651 (101-1,394) | 581 (317-1,172) |
| Nonmetropolitan | 41 (7-79) | 45 (18-191) | 215 (49-569) | 368 (103-590) |
Values are median (Q1-Q3). Social vulnerability quartiles: first: 0.00 to 0.25; second: 0.26 to 0.49; third: 0.50 to 0.75; fourth: 0.75 to 1.00. We averaged the death rates of the 3 states during 2014 to 2018 (benchmark states) to produce benchmark rates. The age and cause of death stratified average death rates per 100,000 for benchmark states were overall cardiovascular disease [3.6 (Utah, New Mexico and Washington) for 18-29 years; 11 (Vermont, New Hampshire, and Oregon) for 30-39 years; 24.9 (New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Colorado) for 40-44 years], ischemic heart disease [2 (California, Utah and New Mexico) for 18-39 years; 10.8 (Colorado, Washington and Connecticut) for 40-44 years], heart failure [0.2 (Colorado, Washington and New York) for 18-44 years], and stroke [1.6 (Oregon, Nebraska and Minnesota) for 18-44 years]. The same benchmarks were applied to demographic groups, cause of death within the counties, and county type. We calculated the expected number of casualties for each demographic group by multiplying population estimates for age, sex, ethnicity/race, cause, and urban-rural county classification by the benchmark death rates. The expected deaths were subtracted from the observed to yield potentially preventable deaths. We then linked social vulnerability index and mortality data and aggregated potentially excess deaths across study groups.