Demographic Factors Affecting Prostate Cancer Mortality

In a June 25, 2015 PLoS One paper [full text] Yao et al perform a regression of prostate cancer mortality (one point per county) using the following explanatory variables:

Significant at 0.1% level:

- more urologists per 100,000 people decreases prostate cancer mortality
- being in a metropolitan country decreases prostate cancer mortality
- greater percentage of population being non-white increases prostate cancer mortality
- greater percentage of population with high school diploma decreases prostate cancer mortality

Significant at 1% level:
- greater prostate cancer incidence per 100,000 men increases prostate cancer mortality

Significant at 5% level:
- if county is a designated Health Professional Shortage Area it increases prostate cancer mortality
- if per capita income is higher then it reduces prostate cancer mortality

Factors that were not significant were:
- radiation oncologists per 100,000 people
- beds per 100,000 people
- percent of population over 65