American Death Rate Rises for

First Time in a Decade

By SABRINA TAVERNISE JUNE 1, 2016
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[A]

WASHINGTON The death rate in the United States rose last year for the
first time in a decade, preliminary federal data show, a rare increase that was
driven in part by more people dying from drug overdoses, suicide and
Alzheimers disease. The death rate from heart disease, long in decline, edged
up slightly.

[B]

Death rates measured as the number of deaths per 100,000 people have
been declining for years, an effect of improvements in health, disease
management and medical technology.

[C]

While recent research has documented sharp rises in death rates among
certain groups in particular less educated whites, who have been hardest hit
by the prescription drug epidemic increases for the entire population are
relatively rare.

[D]

Federal researchers cautioned that it was too early to tell whether the rising
mortality among whites had pushed up the overall national death rate.
(Preliminary data is not broken down by race, and final data will not be out
until later this year.) But they said the rise was real, and while it is premature
to ring an alarm now, if it continues, it could be a signal of distress in the
health of the nation.

[E]

Its an uptick in mortality and that doesnt usually happen, so its significant,
said Robert Anderson, the chief of mortality statistics at theNational Center
for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But the question is, what does it mean? We really need more data to know. If
we start looking at 2016 and we see another rise, well be a lot more
concerned.

[F]

The death rate rose to 729.5 deaths per 100,000 people in 2015, up from 723.2
in 2014, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. It was one of
the few times in the past 25 years that the rate has increased. A badflu season
pushed it up in 2005, and AIDS and the flu contributed to a sharp increase in
1993. In 1999, there was a tiny increase.

[G]

Experts said the current rise was surprising.

[H]

We are not accustomed to seeing death rates increase on a national scale,

said Andrew Fenelon, a researcher at the C.D.C. who did not work on the
paper. Weve seen increases in mortality for some groups, but it is quite rare
to see it for the whole population.

[I]

He added that it would drag the United States further behind its European
peers: Many countries in Europe are witnessing declines in mortality, so the
gap between the U.S. and other countries is growing.

[J]

Others said the finding seemed to fit the broader pattern of rising mortality
among working-class whites, a trend that has drawn significant attention
recently. Last year, a paper by Anne Case and Angus Deaton documented
rising death rates among middle-age white Americans, particularly those with
no more than a high school education. Other research has found rising rates
among younger whites.

[K]

This is probably heavily influenced by whites, said Sam Harper, an

epidemiologist at McGill University in Montreal. It does sort of fit together.

[L]

Chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease take by far the most American
lives, far more, for example, than suicide or homicide, so any change in such
causes can have a big effect on the final numbers. Dr. Anderson pointed out
that the death rate from heart disease, which had been declining for decades
and offsetting the rises in drug deaths, for example flattened. That gives
other causes of death more of an influence, Dr. Anderson said, as they are no
longer being offset by declines from heart disease.

[M]

The death rate from heart disease stood at 167.1 in 2015, up from 166.7 in
2014, though the rise was not statistically significant. It was the first time
since 1993 that the rate did not decline, Dr. Anderson said.

[N]

The death rate from suicides rose to 13.1 in the third quarter of 2015, from
12.7 in the same quarter of 2014. (The last quarter of 2015 data was not yet
available for suicides.)

[O]

The same was true for drug overdoses, whose data the report had for only the
first two quarters of 2015. The death rate for overdoses rose to 15.2 in the
second quarter of 2015, compared with 14.1 in the same quarter of 2014. The
rate for so-called unintentional injuries, which include drug overdoses and car
accidents, rose to 42 in the third quarter of 2015, up from 39.9 in the same
quarter of 2014.

[P]

The rate for Alzheimers disease was also up, rising to 29.2 in 2015,
compared with 25.4 in 2014, the continuation of some years of
increases. Dr. Anderson said that part of the rise was more precise
reporting of Alzheimers on death certificates, but that overall dementiarelated deaths had increased over time.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/health/american-death-rate-rises-for-firsttime-in-a-decade.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fhealth&_r=0

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage?
In boxes 18 on you answer sheet, write
YES
if he statement agrees with the clams of the writer
NO
if the statement contradicts he claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
1. NO
2. NO
3. NOT GIVEN
4. YES
5. YES
6. NOT GIVEN
1. The death rate in the United States fluctuated wildly for the last 10 years
2. Researcher feel more strongly about the death rate of white than about the national death
rate.
3. AIDS first exist in 1993
4. The death rate in the U.S. is affected by the chronic diseases
5. The statistic of coronary artery disease stood insignificantly.
6. According to Dr. Anderson the death rate in the United States is something uncommon