title: Comparison of Mortality Disparities in Central Appalachian Coal- and Non-Coal-Mining Counties.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Determine whether select cause of death mortality disparities in four Appalachian regions is associated with coal mining or other factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  We calculated direct age-adjusted mortality rates and associated 95% confidence intervals by sex and study group for each cause of death over 5-year time periods from 1960 to 2009 and compared mean demographic and socioeconomic values between study groups via two-sample t tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with non-coal-mining areas, we found higher rates of poverty in West Virginia and Virginia (VA) coal counties. All-cause mortality rates for males and females were higher in coal counties across all time periods. Virginia coal counties had statistically significant excesses for many causes of death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found elevated mortality and poverty rates in coal-mining compared with non-coal-mining areas of West Virginia and VA. Future research should examine these findings in more detail at the individual level.
authors: From the Department of Biostatistics (Mss Woolley and Balmert and Dr Buchanich) and Department of Epidemiology (Dr Talbott), Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pa; and Discipline of Family Medicine (Dr Meacham), Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Va.
authors: Shannon M
authors: SM
authors: Woolley
authors: Susan L
authors: SL
authors: Meacham
authors: Lauren C
authors: LC
authors: Balmert
authors: Evelyn O
authors: EO
authors: Talbott
authors: Jeanine M
authors: JM
authors: Buchanich
mesh_terms: D001061:Appalachian Region; D002423:Cause of Death; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003032:Coal Mining / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty; D012142:Respiratory Tract Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality; D014768:Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014903:West Virginia / Q000453:epidemiology