Definition

Years of potential life lost (YPLL) is a measure of the number of years not lived by each individual who died before reaching a predetermined age, such as 75. This measure weights deaths at younger ages more heavily than deaths at older ages; the younger the age at death, the greater the number of years of potential life lost.

Numerator

The YPLL for a population is computed as the sum of all the individual YPLL for individuals who died before age 75 years during a specific time period.

Denominator

The number of persons in the population under the age of 75 years.

Why Is This Important?

Years of potential life lost (YPLL) is a measure of '''premature death'''.

How Are We Doing?

The age-adjusted rate of YPLL before age 75 per 100,000 New Jersey residents had been steadily declining for many years as an increasing proportion of the population lives more than 75 years, however a rise in opioid overdose deaths caused YPLL to increase each year from 2015 through 2017. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 YPLL rate to skyrocket to a level not experienced since 1997. The YPLL rate is highest among Blacks and, prior to 2020, was followed in order by Whites, Hispanics, and Asians/Pacific Islanders. In 2020, the rate among Hispanics surpassed the rate among Whites as a higher proportion of younger Hispanics died due to COVID-19. Among Hispanics, COVID-19 contributed more toward the YPLL rate than any other cause (28.3%). COVID-19 was the second leading contributor to the YPLL rate among Asians and Pacific Islanders (18.4% of the total rate), third among Blacks (12.8%), and fourth among Whites (6.3%). The age-adjusted YPLL rate among males is double that of females. COVID-19 was the second largest contributor to the YPLL rate among males (14.0% of the total) and third among females (10.3%). The leading causes of YPLL in 2020 were unintentional injury, cancer, COVID-19, heart disease, and suicide. The age-adjusted YPLL rate due to unintentional injury rose sharply between 2015 and 2018 but declined in 2019 and only rose slightly in 2020. While the YPLL rate due to cancer continued its steady decline through 2020, the rate due to heart disease rose in 2020, likely due to residents delaying medical treatment during the COVID pandemic.

How Do We Compare With the U.S.?

The age-adjusted rate of YPLL before age 75 among New Jersey residents is consistently below that of the nation as a whole. While the national YPLL rate rose 17.8% between 2019 and 2020, the New Jersey rate rose 22.5% but still remained below the US rate. COVID-19 accounted for 6.3% of the age-adjusted YPLL rate for the US and 12.6% for New Jersey.

Data Source

[https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/ Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System] (WISQARS), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Data Source

[https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/ Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System] (WISQARS), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Data Source

[https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/ Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System] (WISQARS), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Data Notes

The high value for homicide in 2001 includes deaths that occurred as a result of 9/11.

Data Source

[https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/ Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System] (WISQARS), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

References and Community Resources

"[http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus.htm Health, United States]" annual reports through 2017 include trend tables of YPLL rates by gender, race, ethnicity, and leading causes of death. WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) is an interactive database system that provides [https://wisqars.cdc.gov/ypll customized reports of YPLL].