According to the 1980 Census, the United States population was approximately 226,540,000 in 1980. It grew to
approximately 323,120,000 at the beginning of 2016. Using Census data for 1980 and estimates derived from
mortality data for 2016, we arrive at the population estimates given in the table below:
Year Total Population Ages 15–24 Ages 25–44 Ages 45–64
1980 226,540,000 42,475,000 62,707,000 44,497,000
2016 323,120,000 43,500,000 85,150,000 84,300,000
The National Center for Health Statistics published a document entitled “Health, United States, 2015: With
Special Feature on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities” that includes a table listing the leading causes of
death in 1980 by age bracket. The CDC further produced a National Vital Statistics Reports that provided
similar information for the year 2016. Under the Project Instructions link in Blackboard, you’ll find Discussion
Board Forum 2: Data, a spreadsheet showing the leading causes of death in both 1980 and 2016 for these 3
age categories. Each of the first 3 questions has both a computational part and a discussion part. To get full
credit for each of the discussion parts, please cite a reference to support your claims. This should not be an
excessively difficult task: you can easily find information online for most of the illnesses or other causes listed
in the report. All you need to do is provide the website you used (though other resources are also permitted if
you prefer to use one of those).
Assuming that the population numbers in the above table are relatively accurate, use the Discussion Board
Forum 2: Data spreadsheet to compute the deaths per 1000 people for each age group in both 1980 and 2016.
Deaths per 1000 people is computed using the formula Deaths per 1000 = (# of deaths) / (total population)
×1000. Do not round your answer to the nearest whole number, provide at least 2 decimal places (but no more
than 4). Give these 6 values (e.g. deaths per 1000 people for ages 15–24 in 1980) and then cite a reference to
discuss what might account for the changes between the deaths per 1000 in 1 of these 3 age categories
between 1980 and 2016. Your discussion should be at least 40 words.
Besides the changes in the overall death rate in the past 3 decades, the leading causes of death vary
somewhat between 1980 and 2016. Choose 1 of the 3 age ranges and select 1 cause of death from the
Discussion Board Forum 2: Data spreadsheet that strikes you as noteworthy and that appears in both the 1980
and 2016 lists. For the cause of death that you selected, compute the number of deaths per 1000 in both 1980
and 2016 for your chosen age group. Do not round your answer to the nearest whole number, provide at least
2 decimal places. Cite a reference to discuss the possible reasons for any changes in the rates over this
period. Your discussion should be at least 40 words.
Not only do the leading causes of death vary across time, they vary significantly for different age ranges.
Looking only at the 2016 data, choose a cause of death that appears in both the 25–44 and 45–64 age
categories and compute the number of deaths per 1000 people for both age categories. Do not round your
answer to the nearest whole number, provide at least 2 decimal places. Cite a reference to discuss a possible
reason for any differences in these values as people advance in age. Your discussion should be at least 40
words.
Contemplating causes of death might strike some people as unpleasant or even morbid. However, the Bible
encourages us to give some thought to the fact of our own mortality. Ecclesiastes 7:2–4 says: “It is better to go
to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living
will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the
wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.” It is interesting to consider why
the author of Ecclesiastes encourages the wise to go to the house of mourning and the living to lay the end of
all mankind to heart. What value might there be in thinking about the, admittedly uncomfortable, subject of the
end of all mankind? What comes to your mind when you consider this topic? Please respond with at least 80
words.