Divergence of the recent trends in coronary mortality for the four major race-sex groups in the United States. Am J Public Health

Abstract: Since 1976 there has been a leveling off or slowdown in the rate of decline in coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality. The age-adjusted absolute annual rate of decline in CHD mortality rates during 1968-75 (A rate/100,000 population/year) was virtually iden-tical for White males (-7.54), Black males (-7.85), and Black females (-7.20), and somewhat lower for White females (-4.25). During 1976-85, however, the secular trends diverged considerably. Age-adjusted rates continued to decline at the same annual rate for White males, while the decline was approximately half as steep for the other thre race-sex groups. During 1976-85 there was also a leveling off in the average annual per cent change in age-adjuste