 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Christine E. Skiro, School of Public Health, Drexel University, Mail Stop 660, 245 North 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, Caroline G. West, MA, MPAff, Research and Evaluation, Philadelphia Health Management Corporation, 260 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, 215-985-2528, caroline@phmc.org, and Linda E Lloyd, PH D, School of Public Health, MCP Hahnemann University, MS660, 254 N. 15th Street., Philadelphia, PA 19147.
In the US, suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death. Previous studies have shown that Caucasians are at a greater risk of committing suicide than African Americans. Objectives for this study included the following: 1) to explore the relationship of factors such as race, income, and history of mental illness on suicide rates among women in Philadelphia and 2) to develop recommendations that may serve as preventive measures in the future. Data were collected by the Philadelphia Women’s Death Review Team at the Philadelphia Health Management Corporation. From 1997 to 2000, 109 reported suicides occurred in women between the ages of 15 and 60 within the city of Philadelphia. Preliminary analyses suggest the following: Although 69% of all suicides occurred among Caucasians, and 21% occurred among African Americans, women who committed suicide in their 20s were more likely to be African American. Data from Philadelphia show that Caucasians appear to be at greatest risk in their late 30s through early 50s whereas African Americans appear to be at greatest risk in their 20s. Income among Caucasian suicide victims tended to be significantly higher than African Americans. It also was noted that over half of Caucasians who committed suicide had been previously diagnosed with a mental illness; however, this was not the case for African Americans. Suicide prevention efforts and screenings should target young African American women, and mental health services should be expanded in order to provide more continuous and extensive care to those at greatest risk.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Suicide, Death
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.