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Mortality among blacks living in census tracts with public housing projects in Hartford, Connecticut
1Connecticut Department of Public Health, Hartford 06134-0308, USA.
Objective:
The study examined mortality among blacks (African Americans) living in census tracts with a large public housing project(s).
Design:
Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), or the ratios of observed to expected numbers of deaths, from all causes and from selected specific causes were analyzed.
Setting:
SMRs were analyzed for 1988-91 for blacks in four census tracts in Hartford, CT. Expected numbers of deaths were based on age-specific death rates for all blacks in the city.
Results:
The SMR for all causes of death combined was statistically significantly elevated for black male (but not black female) residents of the four census tracts combined, due in part to statistically significantly elevated SMRs for both cancer and cardiovascular diseases (and for the subcategory of coronary heart disease). However, differences in SMRs for black males were evident among the four census tracts, which did not appear to be explained by differences in black poverty rates among these tracts.
Conclusion:
Research is needed on quality of life and health care among black residents of different housing projects in Hartford, and in other U.S. cities.