Using the Bump Chart Dashboard and More Specific List to Illustrate Changes in the Rankings of the Leading Causes of Death (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Background: The rankings of the leading causes of death (CODs) is a commonly used surveillance indicator by mass media and health advocacy groups. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) publishes Deaths: Leading Causes annually. However, the ranking list used by the NCHS and many countries includes broad categories (cancer, heart disease and accidents). OBJECTIVE Objectives: This study examined the long-term (2000–2020) and short-term (2019–2020) changes in the rankings of the leading CODs in the United States using the bump chart dashboard and the World Health Organization (WHO) ranking list, which split broad categories into more specific subcategories (7 for cancer, 9 for heart disease, and 6 for accidents) and adding some specific CODs categories. METHODS Methods: We analyzed mortality data for the years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2019, and 2020. The rankings of the leading CODs were based on age-adjusted mortality rates. Bump chart dashboard with filters for two lists and demographic characteristics (sex, age, and race/ethnicity) were created that allow the viewers to select the dimension they are interested. RESULTS Results: Using the WHO list, several specific CODs (ischemic heart disease; lung, breast, and colon cancer; substance use; and accidental poisoning) were among the 10 leading CODs for different sex and age groups; which could not be revealed if the NCHS list was used. The rank of accidental poisoning markedly increased among people aged 15–44 and 45–64 years, as well as that of hypertensive diseases among those aged ≥75 years. In 2020, COVID-19 ranked third among the White population, but ranked first among the Hispanic and Black population. CONCLUSIONS Conclusions: Bump charts dashboard and the WHO list can better reveal the long-term and short-term changes in relative rank positions of specific preventable CODs, thereby providing more actionable information for health policy decision-making. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable