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The Roseto effect: A 50-year comparison of mortality rates

Author

Listed:
  • Egolf, B.
  • Lasker, J.
  • Wolf, S.
  • Potvin, L.

Abstract

Objectives. Earlier studies found striking differences in mortality from myocardial infarction between Roseto, a homogeneous Italian-American community in Pennsylvania, and other nearby towns between 1955 and 1965. These differences disappeared as Roseto became more 'Americanized' in the 1960s. The present study extended the comparison over a longer period of time to test the hypothesis that the findings from this period were not due to random fluctuations in small communities. Methods. We examined death certificates for Roseto and Bangor from 1935 to 1985. Age-standardized death rates and mortality ratios were computed for each decade. Results. Rosetans had a lower mortality rate from myocardial infarction over the course of the first 30 years, but it rose to the level of Bangor's following a period of erosion of traditionally cohesive family and community relationships. This mortality-rate increase involved mainly younger Rosetan men and elderly women. Conclusions. The data confirmed the existence of consistent mortality differences between Roseto and Bangor during a time when there were many indicators of greater social solidarity and homogeneity in Roseto.

Suggested Citation

  • Egolf, B. & Lasker, J. & Wolf, S. & Potvin, L., 1992. "The Roseto effect: A 50-year comparison of mortality rates," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 82(8), pages 1089-1092.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:1992:82:8:1089-1092_6
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    Cited by:

    1. Fletcher, Jason & Kumar, Sanjeev, 2014. "Religion and risky health behaviors among U.S. adolescents and adults," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 123-140.
    2. Frank Trovato, 2020. "The Immigrant Mortality Advantage in Canada, 2001 and 2011," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 351-379, June.
    3. Schwartz, Gabriel L. & Leifheit, Kathryn M. & Arcaya, Mariana C. & Keene, Danya, 2024. "Eviction as a community health exposure," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    4. Godoy, Ricardo & Byron, Elizabeth & Reyes-García, Victoria & Vadez, Vincent & Leonard, William R. & Apaza, Lilian & Huanca, Tomás & Pérez, Eddy & Wilkie, David, 2005. "Income inequality and adult nutritional status: Anthropometric evidence from a pre-industrial society in the Bolivian Amazon," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(5), pages 907-919, September.
    5. Victoria Reyes-García & Arild Angelsen & Gerald E. Shively & Dmitrij Minkin, 2019. "Does Income Inequality Influence Subjective Wellbeing? Evidence from 21 Developing Countries," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 1197-1215, April.
    6. Kennedy, Bruce P. & Kawachi, Ichiro & Brainerd, Elizabeth, 1998. "The role of social capital in the Russian mortality crisis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 26(11), pages 2029-2043, November.
    7. Sungik Kang & Ja-Hoon Koo, 2023. "Exploring Social Capital Level in Regions with Large and Increasing Wealth Inequality: Lesson from Seoul, South Korea," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 168(1), pages 165-183, August.
    8. Schmidhuber, J., 2006. "The nutrition transition to 2030: Why developing countries are likely to bear the major burden," Proceedings “Schriften der Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften des Landbaues e.V.”, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA), vol. 41, March.

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