National mortality data provide another window on racial disparities in health. Table 2 presents the overall mortality rates for whites by age in the United States in 2005 and the minority/white mortality ratios.8, 9 The data reveal that African Americans and American Indians have a consistent pattern of elevated mortality risk compared to whites. This pattern is evident in early childhood, and persists until advanced age. In contrast, Latinos have rates that are roughly equivalent at the youngest ages but are lower than those of whites at older ages. Asians, a diverse group with an even higher proportion of immigrants than Hispanics, have mortality rates that are markedly lower than those of whites, throughout the life course. The disparities in mortality are generally similar for men and women although there is a consistent trend for the health advantage of Hispanics over whites to be slightly larger for women than for men.
