Heart disease mortality among black migrants: a study of Ohio residents (1960-1967)

In a demographic study, the black Ohio residents were characterized by those born in Ohio and those born in other regions of the United States, and comparisons were made of rates for all deaths (1960-1967) for coronary heart disease (420), endocarditis and myocardial degeneration (421-422), hypertensive cardiovascular diseases (440-447), cerebrovascular diseases (300-334), cardiovascular diseases (400-468), and total diseases of the cardiovascular system (300-334) (400-468). The division of the total United States-born Ohio residents by region of birth provided marked differences in the age-adjusted rates in the relative comparisons. The black males and females born in the South had a markedly higher age-adjusted death rate (ages 45 to 64) than those born in Ohio in each of the categories of cardiovascular diseases studied. For coronary heart disease, the age-adjusted death rate for the black males showed a marked excess over the black females, for each region of birth, whereas for hypertensive cardiovascular diseases the black males and females had similar age-adjusted rates for each region of birth. The findings indicate a carry-over among the black of a higher cardiovascular risk among those born in the South and lend support to the concept of the influence of the endemic factors in the early years of life. In the prospective study of black steelworkers, it was observed that migrant and nonmigrant workers had approximately the same mortality for cardiovascular disease overall, and when specific work areas were considered. Selective factors of employment, of medical screening, and capability of continued employment in strenuous environments, were considered the most likely basis for the similar mortality experience.