Mortality related to cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus in a modernizing population

Excessive adiposity is associated with elevated rates of middle-aged mortality, particularly that related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes mellitus (DM). One purpose of this study was to determine whether the population of American Samoa demonstrated the expected elevation of mortality rates related to these two causes. Accordingly for all American Samoan death records (N = 1588) during the period 1962-74, both crude and age-standardized rates were calculated and interpopulation comparisons of DM and CVD were made. The second purpose of this research was to determine if elevated CVD mortality was associated with the islands' recent trend toward modernization. For this purpose 902 deaths of persons aged 30 or more were analyzed to determine change in CVD mortality over time and differences by degree of participation in modern life. The CVD-related mortality rate for Samoa was 82.1 per 100,000, compared to 368.6 reported for the United States in 1962. After age standardization the Samoan rate increased to 242.5, still below that of the United States. The Samoan DM-related mortality rate was 13.9 per 100,000 compared to a United States rate of 15.9 in 1959. After age adjustment, the respective rates were 32.2 and 13.4 (1957-59), the Samoan rate being more than double that of the United States. Female CVD mortality in Samoa increased from 196.2 in the period 1963-66 to 363.0 in 1971-74, while male rates remained essentially unchanged (417.3 and 429.0 respectively). CVD mortality among males living in more modernized areas of the island was 46.5% higher than that for male residents of more traditional areas (343.5 and 234.5 respectively); among females, however, the rate was highest for those living in traditional areas (398.7). CVD mortality for males classified to the "sedentary' occupational category was 50% greater than that for males in the "active'.