{"id":93799,"date":"2022-12-20T02:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-20T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/alaska-by-the-somber-and-strange-numbers\/"},"modified":"2022-12-20T02:30:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T11:30:00","slug":"alaska-by-the-somber-and-strange-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/alaska-by-the-somber-and-strange-numbers\/","title":{"rendered":"Alaska by the somber and strange numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Average life expectancy in Alaska declined by five years between 2017 and 2021 — nearly all of it since 2019 — while birth and fertility rates dropped by an ever higher percentage during that time, according to the state’s most recent vital statistics report<\/a> released last week.<\/p>\n

The report also noted a wide variety of serious and strange accountings of Alaska, from a huge increase in drug and alcohol-related deaths to the most-popular baby names. It also noted a slight increase in the state’s population during the most recent year, the oldest resident, and the biggest age differential between a newly married couple.<\/p>\n

The decreasing life expectancy rate is largely attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, but officials with the State Department of Health said Monday a complex set of factors is responsible beyond deaths from the disease itself.<\/p>\n

“What we are seeing over time is during the pandemic Alaskans didn’t go to their doctors, so we saw a lot of chronic diseases…that were unmanaged,” said just-appointed Acting Commissioner Heidi Hedberg<\/a>, who previously served as director of the Division of Public Health.<\/p>\n

“There’s a lag of couple of years with many of the deaths due to lack of treatment, so they are likely to remain statistically significant in the near term,” she added.<\/p>\n

Delays or avoidance of treatment for regular checkups as well as conditions such as obesity and smoking was also a nationwide problem, said Coleman Cutchins, a doctor with the state’s Office of Substance Misuse & Addiction Prevention.<\/p>\n

However, COVID-19 itself was a major factor as it was the third leading cause of death in 2021, the vital statistics report noted.<\/p>\n

“Prior to 2020, accidents were typically the third leading cause of death, although this was replaced by COVID-19 in 2021,” the report states. “COVID-19 was the leading cause of death for Asian\/(Pacific Islanders) and Hispanic people.”<\/p>\n

A report focusing specifically on excess deaths<\/a> states “COVID-19 played a verifiable role in approximately 57% of the 1,933 excess deaths estimated” for 2021.<\/p>\n

“The pandemic significantly impacted Alaska’s mortality rates, which disparately affected populations by sex, race, region, and age,” the mortality report states. “Although more elderly Alaskans tend to die from COVID-19, the pandemic increased premature deaths among non-elderly adults as well.”<\/p>\n

Yet another report singled out drug overdose deaths as a rapidly growing concern.<\/p>\n

“In 2021, Alaska experienced the largest percent increase in overdose deaths of any state in the United States,” the Drug Overdose Mortality<\/a> report states.<\/p>\n

There was a 74% increase in the overall drug overdose death rate between 2020 and 2021, according to Hedberg. The largest increases involving fentanyl (a synthetic opioid) at 150% and and methamphetamine (a psychostimulant) at 148%. The largest decreases were cocaine and benzodiazepine overdose deaths at 48% and 40%, respectively.<\/p>\n

In 2021, people at comparatively higher risk of dying from drug overdose included men, American Indian\/Alaska Native people, young adults, and those residing in the Anchorage Public Health Region, according to the statistics report.<\/p>\n

Population and demographics<\/p>\n

In 2021, Alaska’s resident population was 734,323 persons, up from 733,391 persons in 2020. The male\/female split was 51%\/49%.<\/p>\n

Alaska’s population distribution was 65% White, 4% Black, 16% Alaska Native\/Inuit, 8% Asian\/Pacific Islander, 7% Hispanic and 8% multiple race.<\/p>\n

The mean age was 65.9, while the oldest resident was 104.<\/p>\n

The average age of a new mother was 28.9, the oldest mother was 48 and the youngest 14. The oldest “other parent” was 71.<\/p>\n

A total of 64% of mothers received “adequate prenatal care,” and there was an average death rate of six infants per 1,000 between 2019 and 2021.<\/p>\n

There were 4,625 marriages and 2,286 divorces in Alaska in 2021, according to the report.<\/p>\n

Abortion<\/p>\n

There were 1,226 abortions in 2021, a slight increase from 1,206 the previous year, according to a separate report focusing specifically on the subject. There were few significant variances in categories between the two years, although there was roughly 5% increase in Medicaid-funded terminations of pregnancies (43.8%) and a somewhat smaller drop in self-funded terminations (39.5%).<\/p>\n

The gestation period for abortions was less than six weeks for 29.9% of women, 7-9 weeks for 44.7%, 10-13 weeks for 19%, 14-15 weeks for 3.9% and 16-17 weeks for 2.3%, One abortion occurred between 18-20 weeks and two beyond the 20th week.<\/p>\n

The percentage of abortions by race\/ethnicity varied significantly from the statewide population ratios in 2021 only in white people having a lower ratio (53.1% of all abortions while making up 65% of the population) and Alaska Natives\/Inuit people a higher ratio (21.4% of abortions among 16% of the population). White people, who accounted for 46.9% of abortions in 2017, did show the only significant increase in percentage between then and 2021.<\/p>\n

There has been a significant drop in traditional medical suction abortions, from 72.4% in 2017 to 53.9% in 2021, while drug-induced Mifepristone abortions increased from 24.3% in 2017 to 36.1% in 2021.<\/p>\n

Unintended pregnancies were slightly lower in Alaska at 23.1% compared to the national average of 25.8% in 2019, the most recent year direct comparisons are available.<\/p>\n

There were two abortions for girls in Alaska under 15 of age in 2021, a number that has fluctuated between two and seven since 2017.<\/p>\n

Other tidbits<\/p>\n

Somewhere there’s newlywed couple consisting of a person 15-19 years old married to somebody 55 years of age or over. There’s a 2% chance it’s a same-sex couple (which happens to be both the statewide marriage and divorce percentages of same-sex couple).<\/p>\n

The most popular baby names for boys, in order: 1) Noah\/Oliver tied, 2) Wyatt, 3) Liam, 4) James, 5) Lucas\/William. Elijah and Theodore went from second and third, respectively, in 2020 to off the list.<\/p>\n

The most popular baby names for girls, in order: 1) Amelia, 2) Ava\/Hazel\/Olivia, 3) Charlotte, 4) Emma\/Evelyn, 5) Aurora\/Eleanor.<\/p>\n

October was the most common month of death, with 742 deaths (12%, up from 8% in 18-19). Fall is generally the death season with 10% each month between August and November, February saw the fewest deaths. Most deaths occurred in a hospital (43%), followed by the decedent’s residence (39%). Cremation was the most common method of disposition (72%), followed by burial (25%).<\/p>\n

Children under 15 years of age made up 20% of Alaska’s population in 2021. Seniors aged 65 or older years made up 13%.<\/p>\n

Most of Alaska’s population was concentrated in the Anchorage region (39%). This was followed by the Interior and Matanuska-Susitna regions (both at 15%).<\/p>\n

• Contact reporter Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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