UT Tyler issues Northeast Texas Health Status Report

TYLER — A recently released study by the School of Community and Rural Health at the Health Science Center at UT Tyler on the health of Northeast Texas residents found that Northeast Texans experience higher mortality rates compared to Texas overall and to the U.S., according to a news release. According to the report, persons age 35-44 years old are seeing the greatest relative increased risk of mortality in this part of the state. The new report outlines the health issues affecting the 1.6 million people who live in Northeast Texas. It builds off a similar study conducted by the group in 2016. The new report also includes information on social and economic factors that impact health, according to the release.

The study found that Northeast Texas, when compared to the rest of the state, had higher rates of mortality in 2019 for the five leading causes of death in the United States: heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory diseases and stroke. However, the mortality rates for heart disease, stroke, most cancers and kidney disease were lower in 2019 than in 2014. The mortality rates for diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Alzheimer’s disease, suicide, alcohol and drug usage and unintentional injuries (such as those from motor vehicle accidents) were higher over the five-year period. Click here to see the full report.