Death Rates for White Women on the Rise

More white women between the ages of 15 and 54 are dying than they were a generation ago. The main reason is an increase in the use of prescription painkillers. Deaths from suicide and many diseases are also up. At the same time, death rates for Hispanic and African-American women have gone down. What’s behind the numbers? We talk to one of the authors of a new study that looks into the trends.

Credits

Guest:

  • Nan Marie Astone - senior fellow at the Urban Institute and professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health