An Analysis of Regional American Mortality Rates: Testing Woodard's Novel Regionalization of North America

Keywords: Epidemiology, Mortality, American Geography, American Nations, Causes of Death, American Nations, Regionalization, Regional Death Rates, Death Rates, Disease, United States
Session Type: Virtual Guided Poster Abstract
Day: Monday
Session Start / End Time: 2/28/2022 05:20 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/28/2022 06:40 PM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 8

Abstract

Colin Woodard’s American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America (2012) divides North America into eleven “nations” or regions based on historical settlement patterns and material culture. We investigated the variation of the leading causes of death across Woodard’ regions. We used mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to map county- and region-level age-adjusted mortality rates and region-level life expectancy for 2015 to 2019.
 
The densely populated New Netherlands (greater New York City) was consistently low across all leading causes of death expect influenza and pneumonia: 2.3 times the lowest region, the Spanish Caribbean (southern Florida). The highest rates overall were observed for the southern regions of New France (New Orleans region), Greater Appalachia, and the Deep South. These three regions were top three regions heart disease, respectively. New France’s heart disease mortality was 1.7 times the lowest region, the Left Coast. The Far West had 2.4 times the rate of suicide deaths and 2.0 times the rate of liver disease deaths relative to New Netherlands. Yankeedom, the Left Coast, and the Midlands had average to low mortality, depending on the cause of death. Life expectancy was highest in New Netherlands at 77 years and lowest in New France at 73 years.

Use of Woodard’s regions revealed mortality patterns that warrant further investigation. We advocate that when examine the health patterns of the United States, settlement patterns and culture should take precedence to state boundaries and the more typical “quadrant” systems.