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American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 2000 Apr;90(4):615–617. doi: 10.2105/ajph.90.4.615

The relation of residential segregation to all-cause mortality: a study in black and white.

S A Jackson 1, R T Anderson 1, N J Johnson 1, P D Sorlie 1
PMCID: PMC1446199  PMID: 10754978

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the influence of an aggregate measure of the social environment on racial differences in all-cause mortality. METHODS: Data from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study were analyzed. RESULTS: After adjustment for family income, age-adjusted mortality risk increased with increasing minority residential segregation among Blacks aged 25 to 44 years and non-Blacks aged 45 to 64 years. In most age/race/gender groups, the highest and lowest mortality risks occurred in the highest and lowest categories of residential segregation, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that minority residential segregation may influence mortality risk and underscore the traditional emphasis on the social underpinnings of disease and death.

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Selected References

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