Mortality references

A nice summary was doing by the Daily Beast. (local cached).

Faber, Joseph F., Life tables for the United States, 1900-2050 : social security area populations projections, 1983. Baltimore, Md. : U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, Actuarial study / U.S. Social Security Administration, Office of the Actuary ; no. 89

Medical risks, patterns of mortality and survival : a reference volume / sponsored by the Association of Life Insurance Medical Directors of America and the Society of Actuaries ; editors, Richard B. Singer, Louis Levinson, et al. Lexington, Mass., Lexington Books, 1976.

Manton, Kenneth G. Recent trends in mortality analysis. Orlando : Academic Press, 1984.

The study, by Dr. Fernand Labrie and colleagues at Laval University in Quebec, found that men who underwent screening had a death rate from prostate cancer less than one third than men who were not screened. Such a 69 percent reduction in deaths would translate into 27,000 fewer deaths from prostate cancer in the United States each year, Labrie said at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology here. (as quoted in the NYT)

(cost of screen about $100)

Serious problem with the result: It used "actually treated" rather than "intent to treat" and so doesn't qualify as a well done randomized trial. (At least not to me--dpf) Using good statistical analysis, there may be no difference at all.

For personal safety, wearing or carrying a reflector reduces your chances of being hit in the dark by over 8 times! - Independent Scandanavian Research

If you have ever been clinical depressed, you are twice as likely to have heart problems. (Study based on 1190 male MD students, done by Daniel Ford of Johns Hopkins. 12% reported depression. 13 July, 1998 Archives of Internal Medicine.) Depression unrelated to cancer or strokes.

For a nice page (targeted at Americans) see Koop's "Shape up America."

sleep article abstract

12% reduction in mortality for each MET increase on a treadmill

international statistics

A page with lots of pointers to other calculators and tools.

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ungar@cis.upenn.edu