The relation of residential segregation to all-cause mortality: A study inblack and white

Objectives. This study investigated the influence of an aggregate measure o f the social environment on racial differences in all-cause mortality. Methods. Data from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study were analyzed. Results. After adjustment for family income, age-adjusted mortality risk in creased with increasing minority residential segregation among Blacks aged 25 to 44 years and non-Blacks aged 45 to 64 years. In most age/race/gender groups, the highest and lowest mortality risks occurred in the highest and lowest categories of residential segregation, respectively. Conclusions. These results suggest that minority residential segregation ma y influence mortality risk and underscore the traditional emphasis on the s ocial underpinnings of disease and death.