Racial Differences in Causes of Death: Double Jeopardy for Blacks, but for Which Causes?

Scott M. Lynch, Princeton University
J. Scott Brown, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The double jeopardy hypothesis posits that the racial gap in health increases across age. Early research testing the hypothesis used subjective health measures, but more recent research has criticized the use of subjective measures because they tend to be age-sensitive and relative. Research using objective measures has found some support for the hypothesis. In this research, we examine the hypothesis in terms of causes of death. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we estimate Bayesian multiple-decrement life tables for two categories of causes of death: circulatory system diseases (CSDs) and all other causes (OCDs). We find that the racial gap widens across age for CSDs but not for OCDs. The implication is that, even using objective measures, mixed support may be found for the hypothesis, if we use health measures that are strongly associated with one or another particular disease. Additional analyses and implications are discussed.