Instructions for Replicability


1.	Download the data

The first step is to download the “detailed mortality” data (by race, Hispanic origin, sex, age group, and cause of death, separately for 2000 and 2010) from the CDC Wonder website (http://wonder.cdc.gov/). The data come in txt format. The second step is to transfer these data into an Excel file. We report two examples relative to 2010 (one for blacks (file 1A) and one for whites (file 1B)). 

2.	ICD-10 Stata code (see attached do file)

Next, we import the newly created Excel files into a statistical program (the code provided refers to Stata) in order to recode the numerous causes of death into our 19-cause categories. Then we can obtain the number of deaths necessary to construct the multi-decrement life tables. 

3.	Multi-decrement Life Tables for 2000 & 2010 (see attached excel files (2) and (3)). 

After running the ICD-10 Stata code, multi-decrement life tables for non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks can be constructed using Excel. Researchers will need to input the number of deaths (e.g., Column F & Column G) and population denominators (e.g., Column D & Column E) for each age category. Researchers will have to input the number of deaths for both genders and by specific cause. Excel is programmed to populate the life expectancy accordingly. 

4.	Decomposition (see attached excel files (4)).

After the creation of the life tables, researchers can use Excel in order to perform the decomposition described in our paper. The required data are the cause-specific probability of dying and mean age at death (from the spreadsheet called “LT data” in the life table Excel files (2) and (3)). We provide the overall decomposition as well as the decomposition by sex, for both 2000 and 2010.