How Race and Poverty Can Affect Early Death

(July 18) – Study after study has identified being a racial minority and living below the poverty line as key factors that can contribute to higher mortality for many reasons. While the causes can vary — including diet, limited access to quality health care, smoking status and being more vulnerable to violent crime — most of the research has looked at race and poverty together. But in a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, scientists at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) decided to look at the effects of race and economic status on mortality separately.