Cohort Trends in Health Behaviors and Other Causes of Death

Neil Mehta , University of Michigan

While rising death rates from drug overdoses have been important to recent changes in U.S. life expectancy, shifts in death rates from other causes may also be important. This talk will focus on changes in causes of death other than those related to drug overdoses and their role in recent U.S. life expectancy trends. I will also discuss recent changes in the behavioral profile of American cohorts, particularly with respect to obesity and cigarette smoking, and consider their importance to recent mortality trends.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 50. Rising U.S. Mortality: How Much Should We Despair?