London: In a significant finding, an analysis spanning nearly four decades has revealed that young men living in the US are overall more likely to die in the summer months. The study used data on 85,854,176 deaths in the US between 1980 and 2016 from the vital registration and found that men and women aged 45 years and older remain more likely to die in winter, regardless of the regional climate. The data was analysed using a technique called wavelet analysis, where death rates are studied through a kind of “moving window” over time, revealing changes.
The research team found that deaths from overall mortality (any cause of death) in men aged 45 years and older and women aged 35 years and older peaked in December, January or February, and were lowest in June to August. “Deaths from heart and lung diseases were highest in January and February and lowest in July and August regardless of age,” the team said. Deaths in children younger than five were highest in February and lowest in August. By contrast, deaths from overall mortality peaked in June and July for males aged between five and 34 years old. Deaths from injuries were highest in the summer for both men and women younger than 45 years old. Over the 37 years, the per-cent differences in seasonal death rates changed little for people aged 45 and older. (IANS)