MANSFIELD, Ohio — Richland Public Health has posted the totals for causes of death in 2014 as well as the statistics for births in the county. The birth and death statistics are complied monthly by the Vital Statistics office at Richland Public Health, the same office that provides birth and death certificates.
The statistics do not include deaths or birth recorded in Shelby that are handled by the Shelby City Health Department. There may be a few changes in the causes of death as 11 deaths are still pending autopsy reports.
Deaths
· There were 1,112 deaths in the county (excluding Shelby) in 2014, the most deaths in a single year since 2006. There were 20 more deaths to males than to females.
· Heart disease and heart attacks remain the number one cause of death in the county with 466 deaths, accounting for 42 percent of all deaths and the highest number of deaths from that cause in the last 14 years. That number is up significantly from last year where heart disease accounted for 36 percent of all deaths (397 out of 1,090 deaths).
· Cancer remained the second leading cause of death with 202 fatalities. Lung diseases followed with 77 deaths. Both numbers were slightly lower than last year.
· Alzheimer’s/Dementia is listed as the fourth leading cause with 63 deaths, down 10 from last year. Flu/pneumonia is the fifth leading cause of death, followed by renal/kidney disease. Accidental death by falls, traffic crashes, and drug overdoses was next with 43 deaths.
Births
· There were 1,083 births in the county (excluding Shelby) last year, 28 fewer than last year and the lowest total in the last 24 years.
· There were 116 births to teens (ages 13 to 19). The percentage of teen births, just under 11 percent, is slightly lower than last year and the lowest percentage of teen births in the last 24 years.
· The number of births to unwed mothers was just under 40 percent of all births and was up slightly from last year. Unwed teens accounted for 24 percent of the total unwed in county births.
· There were 697 repeat births (second or more birth to the same female), 10 fewer than last year.
The complete list for Richland County deaths and births by year and cumulative totals can be found at www.richlandhealth.org in the Department listings under Vital Statistics.
