Preventable causes of death in North Carolina.

Causes of death are traditionally classified according to the primary type of disease or injury. For example, in 2001 the leading causes of death in North Carolina were heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lung disease, and diabetes. Causes of death may also be classified in terms of preventable risk factors – such as smoking, unhealthy diet, and sexual behavior – which contribute to a number of different diseases. Such risk factors are usually not recorded directly on death certificates. Some studies have estimated the proportion of deaths due to various preventable causes.1,2 By applying proportions adapted from these studies to the 71,000 deaths of North Carolina residents during 2001, we come up with the following results: