Longevity disparities in multiethnic Hawaii: an analysis of 2000 life tables.

OBJECTIVE: We examined differences among seven major ethnic groups in Hawaii in life expectancy at birth (e[0]) and mortality at broad age groups. METHODS: We constructed life tables for 2000 for Caucasian, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, and Samoan ethnic groups in Hawaii. We partitioned overall mortality into broad age groups: <15 (representing premature mortality), 15-65 (representing working age), and 66-84 and > or =85 (representing senescent mortality). RESULTS: The overall e(O) in Hawaii was 80.5 years, but the difference between the longest-living group (Chinese) and the shortest-living group (Samoan) was 13 years. Chinese had the lowest mortality rates in each age group except the > or =85 category. In this last age group, we observed anomalously low rates for some new immigrant groups (especially Samoan males) suggesting, as a cause, that elders in these immigrant groups may return to natal countries in their old age and die there. In the <15 age group, mortality rates for Samoans and Koreans were highest, especially for Korean girls, suggesting some continuance in the U.S. of a preference for boy children. Outside of these anomalies, ethnic differences in e(O) were likely explained by socioeconomic and behavioral variables known to affect mortality levels, which are closely associated with ethnicity in Hawaii. CONCLUSIONS: These findings confirm the need to disaggregate Asian and Pacific Islander data, to conduct ethnic-specific research, and to address socioeconomic disparities.

Life Expectancies in Hawai'i: A Multi-ethnic Analysis of 2010 Life Tables.

The objective of this study is to examine longevity disparities in Hawai'i by race/ethnicity and gender based on age-specific death rates in 2010. Abridged life tables for Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Hawaiians, and Caucasians in Hawai'i are presented for the age groups: <1, 1-4, every 5-year interval from 5-84, and 85+ years for the year of 2010. Death data were provided by the Hawai'i Department of Health Office of Health Status Monitoring, and population data were based on 2010 Census modified based on ethnicity estimates from the Hawai'i Health Survey. Life expectancy at birth in Hawai'i has increased consistently from 69.5 years in 1950 to 82.4 years in 2010. Longevity disparities seen in past decades continue to persist between the longest-living groups, Japanese and Chinese, and the shortest-living group, Native Hawaiians, with a gap of approximately 10 years. In addition, females lived 6 years longer than males on average. Racial/ethnic disparities in longevity can be partially explained by differences in socioeconomic status, health behaviors, health care access, and racism. Native Hawaiians continue to have the shortest life expectancy of the ethnic groups examined, requiring expanded efforts to address Native Hawaiian health across the life course. Our findings also support more ethnic-specific research to understand the health care needs and utilization patterns of each group.