How does legalization of physician assisted suicide affect of suicide? Data Appendix Table A1: Data definitions and Sources Variable Description Source Non-assisted suicide rate Number of suicides recorded amongst CDC Compressed residents of each state in a calendar year per Mortality Statistics series; 100,000 population. Population is State health departments as reported by the CDC. Total suicide rate Non-assisted suicide rate plus the rate of State health departments deaths the auspices of assisted dying acts which occurred in the same calendar year. Note that age groups for deaths under the Oregon Dying With Dignity Act are not provided prior to 2003. The age breakdown for these years is estimated using the reported post-2003 breakdown. Mean age of suicide The mean age in each state is calculated CDC Compressed using the mid-points of the age groupings Mortality Statistics series; for state-level suicide deaths reported by the CDC. PAS The proportion of months in each calendar State health departments year for which physician assisted suicide was legalized or (for Montana) decriminalized. % religious adherence Percentage of the population in each state Associations of reporting that they are adherents to a Statisticians of American recognised religion. Linear interpolation to Religious Bodies, ‘U.S. estimate values for intervening years Religious Census’, 2010, 2000 and 1990, % Percentage of the population in each state CDC state bridged-race that are black. population estimates % Hispanic Percentage of the population in each state CDC state bridged-race that are Hispanic. population estimates Real disposable income per Annual per capita real GDP by state in Bureau of Economic capita chained 2009 dollars. Analysis Unemployment rate Annual State level unemployment rates. Bureau of Labor Statistics BAC 08 law The proportion of months in a year in Freeman (2007) which a state has a law setting the Blood Alcohol Concentration limit for driving at 0.08 grams of alcohol per 100. Medical marijuana The proportion of months in a year in Anderson et al (2015) and which a state has a law in effect permitting Marijuana Policy Project the use of marijuana for medical purposes. (2013), Medical Marijuana Laws’, www.marijuanapolicy.org Decriminalized marijuana The proportion of months in a year in Marijuana Poly Project which a state has permitted alternatives to (2014), laws with ‘State incarceration for Marijuana possession. alternatives to incarceration for marijuana possession’, www.marijuanapolicy.org
How does legalization of physician assisted suicide affect of suicide? Data Appendix Table A1: Data definitions and Sources Variable Description Source Non-assisted suicide rate Number of suicides recorded amongst residents of each state in a calendar year per 100,000 population. Population is as reported by the CDC. CDC Compressed Mortality Statistics series; State health departments Total suicide rate Non-assisted suicide rate plus the rate of deaths the auspices of assisted dying acts which occurred in the same calendar year. Note that age groups for deaths under the Oregon Dying With Dignity Act are not provided prior to 2003. The age breakdown for these years is estimated using the reported post-2003 breakdown. State health departments Mean age of suicide The mean age in each state is calculated using the mid-points of the age groupings for state-level suicide deaths reported by the CDC. CDC Compressed Mortality Statistics series; PAS The proportion of months in each calendar year for which physician assisted suicide was legalized or (for Montana) decriminalized. State health departments % religious adherence Percentage of the population in each state reporting that they are adherents to a recognised religion. Linear interpolation to estimate values for intervening years Associations of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, ‘U.S. Religious Census’, 2010, 2000 and 1990, % Percentage of the population in each state that are black. CDC state bridged-race population estimates % Hispanic Percentage of the population in each state that are Hispanic. CDC state bridged-race population estimates Real disposable income per capita Annual per capita real GDP by state in chained 2009 dollars. Bureau of Economic Analysis Unemployment rate Annual State level unemployment rates. Bureau of Labor Statistics BAC 08 law The proportion of months in a year in which a state has a law setting the Blood Alcohol Concentration limit for driving at 0.08 grams of alcohol per 100. Freeman (2007) Medical marijuana The proportion of months in a year in which a state has a law in effect permitting the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Anderson et al (2015) and Marijuana Policy Project (2013), Medical Marijuana Laws’, www.marijuanapolicy.org Decriminalized marijuana The proportion of months in a year in which a state has permitted alternatives to incarceration for Marijuana possession. Marijuana Poly Project (2014), ‘State laws with alternatives to incarceration for marijuana possession’, www.marijuanapolicy.org
SMJ_2015_08_24_PATON_SMJ-15-099_SDC1.docx