Socioeconomic Deprivation and Premature Cardiovascular Mortality in the United States.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the variability in county cardiovascular (CV) premature mortality explained by integrated metrics of socioeconomic deprivation and to explore temporal trends in CV mortality by county socioeconomic deprivation.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional analysis of US county-level death certificate data from 1999 to 2018 of age-adjusted premature (25 to 64 years) CV mortality. Integrated metrics of socioeconomic deprivation (Social Deprivation Index [SDI] and county Area Deprivation Index [ADI]) were associated with mortality using linear regression analysis. Relative change in county CV mortality from 1999 to 2018 was associated with indices using linear regression analysis.

RESULTS

Counties with higher quartile SDI and ADI had significantly higher total, non-Hispanic Black/African American, and female premature CV mortality (P<.001). Both SDI and ADI were significantly associated with CV mortality by linear regression (P<.001) explaining 40% and 44% of county variability in CV mortality, respectively. Counties with lower deprivation indices experienced a larger decreased in premature CV mortality (P<.001).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates an association between multiple integrated metrics of socioeconomic deprivation and premature cardiovascular mortality and shows potentially worsening disparities.