Objectives: This study determined the degree to which Black-White differences in infectious disease mortality are explained by income and education and the extent to which infectious diseases contribute to Black-White differences in all-cause mortality.
Methods: A sample population of the National Longitudinal Mortality Study from 1979 through 1981 was analyzed and followed up through 1989.
Results: Infectious disease mortality among Blacks was higher than among Whites, with a relative risk of 1.53 after adjustment for age and sex and 1.34 after further adjustment for income and education. Death from infectious diseases contributed to 9.3% of the difference in all-cause mortality.
Conclusions: In the United States, infectious diseases account for nearly 10% of the excess all-cause mortality rates in Blacks compared with Whites.