Black–White Differences in Infectious Disease Mortality in the United States

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Abstract
This study determined the degree to which Black-White differences in infectious disease mortality are explained by income and education and the extent to which infectious diseases contribute to Black-White differences in all-cause mortality. A sample population of the National Longitudinal Mortality Study from 1979 through 1981 was analyzed and followed up through 1989. Infectious disease mortality among Blacks was higher than among Whites, with a relative risk of 1.53 after adjustment for age and sex and 1.34 after further adjustment for income and education. Death from infectious diseases contributed to 9.3% of the difference in all-cause mortality. In the United States, infectious diseases account for nearly 10% of the excess all-cause mortality rates in Blacks compared with Whites.