DYING OF COLD IN THE SUN-BELT - ELDERLY HYPOTHERMIA MORTALITY-RATES

Given that Sunbelt states promote their images by stressing their good climate, the question arises as to how healthy their climate is for t he elderly. This study compares deaths attributed to excessive cold fo r persons sixty years of age and over in Sunbelt and nonsunbelt states for the years 1980-1985. State mortality data are analyzed using desc riptive statistics and simple correlations. Blacks of both sexes have significantly higher death rates in the Sunbelt, while the reverse is true for whites. Death rates by age group were generally lower in the Sunbelt, though the few significant correlations showed a Sunbelt bias . The latter may be linked to particularly severe winters.