Increases in alcohol-induced death rates ID'd across U.S.

(HealthDay)—From 2000 to 2016, there were large increases in alcohol-induced death rates across age and racial/ethnic subgroups, according to a study published online Feb. 21 in JAMA Network Open.

Susan Spillane, Ph.D., from the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues used U.S. National Vital Statistics data to examine trends in alcohol-induced mortality rates from 2000 to 2016.

The researchers identified 425,045 alcohol-induced deaths from 2000 to 2016. The rate increased substantially among men and women (average annual percentage changes [AAPCs], 1.4 and 3.1 percent, respectively) and accelerated recently (men, 2012 to 2016: APC, 4.2 percent; women, 2013 to 2016: APC, 7.1 percent). By race/ethnicity, the largest increases were seen among American Indian and Alaska Native men and women (AAPCs, 3.3 and 4.2 percent, respectively) and white women (AAPC, 4.1 percent). There was variation noted in the rates of increase by age group and by racial/ethnic groups. Large absolute increases occurred in midlife among white individuals, although the APCs were also large for ages 25 to 34 years; increases throughout the age range were observed among American Indian and Alaska Native individuals, with the largest increases occurring for ages 45 to 49 years among men and ages 50 to 54 years among women.

"Reflecting on the consequences of alcohol-related morbidity and mortality throughout the age range, our findings document an urgent public health crisis calling for concerted public health action," the authors write.

Copyright © 2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.