Mortality risk in older inner-city African Americans

To investigate mortality risks in a sample of poor, inner-city-dwelling, older African Americans.

Prospective cohort study.

St. Louis, Missouri.

Six hundred twenty-two African Americans aged 68 to 102 at the time of their 1992 to 1994 baseline interviews.

Risk factors previously identified in the literature were examined for seven categories: demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, biomedical, disability and physical function, perceived health, and health services utilization. Vital status was ascertained through 2002.

Three hundred eighty-six subjects (62.1%) were deceased and 236 were alive (mortality higher than in matched controls). Significant risks for mortality were older age, male sex, annual income less than $10,000, cancer, cerebrovascular disease, dependencies in lower-body function, and number of physician visits in the 12 months before baseline.

In addition to improving the risk factors for stroke and malignant disease in this population, studies focused on improving lower-body functioning may be warranted as a part of efforts aimed at enhancing longevity in older African-American adults.