Premature Mortality Trends in Wisconsin , 1999-2006

Nathan R. Jones, University of Wisconsin at Madison

Mortality is an important indicator of well-being and reduction of preventable death is a priority in Wisconsin’s public health plan. One measure of premature mortality is years of potential life lost (YPLL), defined as the number of years of life lost among persons who die before age 75. Mortality conditions in Wisconsin are improving: the state age-adjusted YPLL rate declined 5.1% between the periods 1999-2002 and 2003-2006. The distribution of underlying causes of YPLLs in Wisconsin changed over the same period reflecting many of the national trends in mortality due to chronic disease, injuries, infectious disease, and perinatal conditions. Specifically, the major features of mortality in Wisconsin have been a sharp decrease in deaths due to heart disease and stroke, stable cancer rates, and increases in injury deaths. The proportion of YPLLs due to perinatal causes remained stable over the period at the state level.