Geographic characteristics and mortality profiles in the JPHC study. Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study on Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases.

The study areas of the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study on Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases (JPHC Study) are distributed throughout Japan and represent both rural and urban communities. These geographical differences yield considerable difference in population, culture, and lifestyle. The mortality rates in the study areas were apparently influenced by these factors. The pattern of standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for all causes of death (cancer, heart diseases, ischemic heart disease, and cerebrovascular diseases) in each area was different. Age-standardized site-specific cancer mortality rates showed large variation even when compared with corresponding figures of prefectures in Japan. The areas of the JPHC study showed different patterns of SMR for major causes of death. The differences in site-specific cancer mortality rates for most of the sites are sufficient for epidemiological analyses.