Young men more likely to die in summer: Study

Business Standard: A recent research has found that young men are more likely to die in the summer season.

The study pertains to the young men living in the US and was published in eLife. The trend is just one of several highlighted in an analysis spanning nearly four decades, which will help inform public health strategies to reduce deaths now and in the future.

Robbie Parks, lead author of the study said, "It is well established that death rates vary throughout the year, but there is limited information on how this seasonality varies by local climate and how it has changed over time for different diseases and at different ages. In this study, we set out to comprehensively characterise the patterns of death over different time periods and geographical areas to understand when and where death rates are at their highest and lowest."

The study used data on 85,854,176 deaths in the US between 1980 and 2016 from the vital registration. It was analysed using a technique called wavelet analysis, where death rates are studied through a kind of 'moving window' over time, revealing changes.

Using this approach, the research team identified several distinct seasonal patterns in relation to age and gender. 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. BS