Deaths of Hispanic origin, 15 reporting States, 1979-81

This report describes the mortality of the Hispanic-origin population for a 15-State reporting area during the 3-year period of 1979-81. Death rates are centered on 1980, the year for which population counts are available from the decennial census enumeration for major Hispanic groups in the States that comprise the reporting area. A total of 21 States had a Hispanic origin or an ethnic origin item on their death certificates for 1979-81. For 15 of these States (Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas (1980-81 only), Utah, and Wyoming), reporting of Hispanic origin or ethnic origin was at least 90 percent complete by place of occurrence and the wording of the questions was comparable among the States. Reporting of Hispanic origin or ethnic origin was 94.7 percent complete (on a place-of-residence basis) for these 15 States. Mortality data in,this report are presented in tables 1-17. The analysis of mortality is limited to the 15-State reporting area (tables 2-13 and 15-17). Completeness of reporting Hispanic origin or ethnic origin on the death certificate has improved since 1978, when the death certificates of 18 States included one of the items. In 1978, decedent's origin was not reported for 22.7 percent of deaths occurring in these States; by 1980, for the 21 States then reporting this information, the percent had declined to 15.8. Reporting has continued to improve through 1987, when decedent's origin was not reported for only 5.2 percent of deaths occurring in the 22 reporting States and the District of Columbia.