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State Health Compare

Premature deaths: Average number of years of potential life lost prior to age 75 per 100,000 population

Measure Overview

Every year, thousands of Americans die from unintentional and violence-related injuries resulting from motor vehicle crashes, homicide, suicide, accidental drug overdose, and other causes. These types of deaths can have far-reaching public health and economic consequences, such as psychological distress and financial insecurity experienced by surviving family members and loved ones. Since many premature deaths can be prevented through behavioral and lifestyle changes (e.g., smoking cessation, healthy eating, wearing a seatbelt), it is important to monitor rates of unintentional and violence-related injuries as a way to inform targeted interventions and minimize unnecessary loss of life.

State Health Compare provides annual, state-level rates of premature death based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). The data can be broken down across five racial/ethnic groups, including Hispanic/Latino, White, African-American/Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native.

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