DEMOGRAPHIC, SOCIOECONOMIC, AND BEHAVIORAL-FACTORS AFFECTING ETHNIC MORTALITY BY CAUSE

This article examines ethnic differences in total and cause-specific m ortality We employ the linked National Health Interview Survey-Nationa l Death Index (NHIS-NDI) to examine ethnic differences in mortality fr om a combination of demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteris tic perspectives. We find that Asian American mortality is low in part because of healthy behaviors and socioeconomic advantages; that Cauca sian American mortality is higher partly because of high prevalence an d quantify of cigarette smoking; and that Mexican, Native, and African American mortality is higher partly from socioeconomic disadvantages. These results give us added insight into the demographic, social, and health mechanisms that lead us to persevere or to perish.