Men’s death rates by disease, accidents, and more 

• The racial disparities in death rates are apparent across several data points. Black men are 26% more likely to die of heart disease than white, non-Hispanic men. They’re also more likely to die because of cancer, particularly prostate cancer, which kills 13.8 Black men per 100,000 and 7.4 white, non-Hispanic men per 100,000.
   
• Leading causes of death shift depending on one’s race or ethnicity. Homicide is the fifth most common cause of death among Black men. It is among the top 10 causes of death for Hispanic and Native American men, but not for Asian American/Pacific Islander or white, non-Hispanic men.

• How different are men’s death rates compared to women’s? For starters, men are more likely to die due to drugs. Four percent of men and 2% of women had an illicit drug use disorder in 2019. That same year, 7% of men and 4% of women had an alcohol use disorder.
   
• As of 2019, 80% of men had seen a doctor or other healthcare professional in the past year, compared to 90% of women. Men are also 62% more likely to die of heart disease than women and 37% more likely to die of cancer.

Accidents are the third most common cause of death for men. Between car crashes, falls, and poisoning, which is the most common? Get the answer and even more statistics at USAFacts.org.   


Falling behind the July 4 vaccination goal 

As of June 30, 171.7 million adults have started COVID-19 vaccinations. That’s two out of every three adults, but it’s about 9 million short of the number needed to meet President Joe Biden’s goal of 70% adults starting vaccination by July 4.

At this pace, when might the nation hit the 70% vaccination mark? Get the answer and more, including a map with the most-vaccinated states, right here.  

 

Nationwide mental health care shortages

The Census Bureau reported that 30% of American adults had anxiety or depression symptoms as of May 24. Yet, millions of people live in areas with shortages of mental health providers. What does this mean, and how can the government address it? 

• Simply put, the US does not have enough mental health providers. An estimated 122 million Americans, or 37% of the population, lived in 5,833 mental health professional shortage areas as of March 31.
   
• It would take another 6,398 providers to resolve the nationwide shortage, and of course, those needs vary by state. Delaware needs 15 more mental health providers. Texas needs 638 more. Two-thirds of shortage areas are in rural or partially rural parts of the country.
   
• The government tracks these shortages so it can address community needs. For example, the National Health Service Corps provides loan repayment or scholarships for people providing health care services in underserved areas.

Learn more with the Health Resources and Services Administration data in this new report. 

One last fact

The skies were full of fireworks over the Independence Day weekend, but a recent report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence covered another overhead spectacle: UFOs. The government officially calls them “unidentified aerial phenomena,” or UAP, and disclosed that 144 UAP were reported between November 2004 and March 2021.