Preventable causes of death - Wikipedia Preventable causes of death This article needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. ( July 2013 ) The World Health Organization has traditionally classified death according to the primary type of disease or injury. However, causes of death may also be classified in terms of preventable risk factors -- such as smoking, unhealthy diet, sexual behavior, and reckless driving -- which contribute to a number of different diseases. Such risk factors are usually not recorded directly on death certificates, although they are acknowledged in medical reports. Contents 1 Worldwide 1.1 2001 figures 2 United States 2.1 Accidental death 2.2 Annual number of deaths and causes 3 Among children worldwide 4 See also 5 References Worldwide It is estimated that of the roughly 150,000 people who die each day across the globe, about two thirds -- 100,000 per day -- die of age - related causes because they have aged. In industrialized nations the proportion is much higher, reaching 90 %. Thus, albeit indirectly, biological aging ( senescence ) is by far the leading cause of death. Whether senescence as a biological process itself can be slowed down, halted, or even reversed is a subject of current scientific speculation and research. 2001 figures Leading causes of preventable death worldwide as of the year 2001, according to researchers working with the Disease Control Priorities Network ( DCPN ) and the World Health Organization ( WHO ). ( The WHO 's 2008 statistics show very similar trends. ) Cause Number of deaths resulting ( millions per year ) Hypertension 7.8 Smoking tobacco 5.4 Malnutrition 3.8 Sexually transmitted diseases 3.0 Poor diet 2.8 Overweight and obesity 2.5 Physical inactivity 2.0 Alcohol 1.9 Indoor air pollution from solid fuels 1.8 Unsafe water and poor sanitation 1.6 In 2001, on average 29,000 children died of preventable causes each day ( that is, about 20 deaths per minute ). The authors provide the context : `` About 56 million people died in 2001. Of these, 10.6 million were children, 99 % of whom lived in low - and - middle - income countries. More than half of child deaths in 2001 were attributable to acute respiratory infections, measles, diarrhea, malaria, and HIV / AIDS. '' United States The three most common preventable causes of death in the population of the United States are smoking, high blood pressure, and being overweight. Leading preventable causes of death in the United States in the year 2000. Note : This data is outdated and has been significantly revised, especially for obesity - related deaths. Accidental death Leading causes of accidental death in the United States by age group as of 2002. Leading causes of accidental death in the United States as of 2002, as a percentage of deaths in each group. Annual number of deaths and causes Cause Number Percent of total Notes Smoking tobacco 435,000 18.1 % Preventable medical errors in hospitals 210,000 to 448,000 23.1 % Estimates vary, significant numbers of preventable deaths also result from errors outside of hospitals. Being overweight and obesity 111,909 4.6 % There was considerable debate about the differences in the numbers of obesity - related diseases. The numbers reported in the referenced article have been found to be the most accurate. Alcohol 85,000 3.5 % Infectious diseases 75,000 3.1 % Toxic agents including toxins, particulates and radon 55,000 2.3 % Traffic collisions 43,000 1.8 % Preventable colorectal cancers 41,400 1.7 % Colorectal cancer ( bowel cancer, colon cancer ) caused 51,783 deaths in the US in 2011. About 80 percent of colorectal cancers begin as benign growths, commonly called polyps, which can be easily detected and removed during a colonoscopy. Accordingly, the tabulated figure assumes that 80 % of the fatal cancers could have been prevented. Firearms deaths 31,940 1.3 % Suicide : 19,766 ; homicide : 11,101 ; Accidents : 852 ; Unknown : 822 Sexually transmitted infections 20,000 0.8 % Drug abuse 17,000 0.7 % Among children worldwide Various injuries are the leading cause of death in children 9 -- 17 years of age. In 2008, the top five worldwide unintentional injuries in children are as follows : Leading causes of death by injury among children worldwide. Cause Number of deaths resulting Traffic collision 260,000 per year Drowning 175,000 per year Burns 96,000 per year Falls 47,000 per year Toxins 45,000 per year See also List of causes of death by rate Preventive medicine Public health References ^ Jump up to : Aubrey D.N.J, de Grey ( 2007 ). `` Life Span Extension Research and Public Debate : Societal Considerations '' ( PDF ). Studies in Ethics, Law, and Technology. 1 ( 1, Article 5 ). doi : 10.2202 / 1941 - 6008.1011. Retrieved August 7, 2011. Jump up ^ `` SENS Foundation ''. Jump up ^ `` DCP3 ''. washington.edu. ^ Jump up to : Lopez AD, Mathers CD, Ezzati M, Jamison DT, Murray CJ ( May 2006 ). `` Global and regional burden of disease and risk factors, 2001 : systematic analysis of population health data ''. Lancet. 367 ( 9524 ) : 1747 -- 57. doi : 10.1016 / S0140 - 6736 ( 06 ) 68770 - 9. PMID 16731270. ^ Jump up to : Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health ( April 27, 2009 ). `` Smoking, high blood pressure and being overweight top three preventable causes of death in the U.S ''. The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved 2015 - 05 - 15. ^ Jump up to : Mokdad AH, Marks JS, Stroup DF, Gerberding JL ( March 2004 ). `` Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000 '' ( PDF ). JAMA. 291 ( 10 ) : 1238 -- 45. doi : 10.1001 / jama. 291.10. 1238. PMID 15010446. ^ Jump up to : National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 50, No. 15, September 16, 2002 as compiled at ( 1 ) Jump up ^ `` A New, Evidence - based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated with Hospital Care ''. Journal of Patient Safety. Retrieved 2014 - 02 - 21. Jump up ^ Flegal, K.M., B.I. Graubard, D.F. Williamson, and M.H. Gail. ( 2005 ). `` Obesity ''. Journal of the American Medical Association. 293 ( 15 ) : 1861 -- 1867. doi : 10.1001 / jama. 293.15. 1861. PMID 15840860. CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list ( link ) Jump up ^ `` Controversies in Obesity Mortality : A Tale of Two Studies '' ( PDF ). RTI International. Retrieved 2014 - 02 - 21. Jump up ^ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. `` Colorectal Cancer Statistics ''. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ Carol A. Burke ; Laura K. Bianchi. `` Colorectal Neoplasia ''. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved January 12, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Deaths : Preliminary Data for 2011 '' ( PDF ). CDC. Retrieved 2014 - 02 - 21. ^ Jump up to : `` BBC NEWS Special Reports UN raises child accidents alarm ''. BBC News. December 10, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2010. Death Outline In medicine Cell death Necrosis Avascular necrosis Coagulative necrosis Liquefactive necrosis Gangrenous necrosis Caseous necrosis Fat necrosis Fibrinoid necrosis Temporal lobe necrosis Programmed cell death AICD Anoikis Apoptosis Autophagy Intrinsic apoptosis Necroptosis Paraptosis Parthanatos Phenoptosis Pseudoapoptosis Pyroptosis Autolysis Autoschizis Eschar Immunogenic cell death Ischemic cell death Pyknosis Karyorrhexis Karyolysis Mitotic catastrophe Suicide gene Abortion Autopsy Brain death Brainstem death Clinical death DOA Death by natural causes Death rattle Dysthanasia End - of - life care Euthanasia Lazarus sign Lazarus syndrome Medical definition of death Organ donation Terminal illness Unnatural death Lists Causes of death by rate Expressions related to death Natural disasters People by cause of death Premature obituaries Preventable causes of death Notable deaths by year Unusual deaths TV actors who died during production Mortality Birthday effect Child mortality Gompertz -- Makeham law of mortality Immortality Biological Digital Infant mortality Karōshi Maternal death Maternal mortality in fiction Memento mori Micromort Mortality displacement Mortality rate RAMR Mortality salience Perinatal mortality After death Body Stages Pallor mortis Algor mortis Rigor mortis Livor mortis Putrefaction Decomposition Skeletonization Fossilization Preservation Cryopreservation Cryonics Neuropreservation Embalming Maceration Mummification Plastination Prosection Taxidermy Disposal Burial Bed burial Burial at sea Chariot burial Jar burial Natural burial Premature burial Secondary burial Ship burial Sky burial Space burial Cannibalism Cremation Dismemberment Excarnation Promession Resomation Beating heart cadaver Body donation Cadaveric spasm Coffin birth Death erection Dissection Gibbeting Postmortem Caloricity Post-mortem interval Other aspects Afterlife Cemetery Consciousness Customs Death mask Eternal oblivion Examination Funeral Grief Intermediate state Internet Mourning Obituary Resurrection Taboo on the dead Vigil Paranormal Ghosts Near - death experience Near - death studies Necromancy Out - of - body experience Reincarnation research Séance Legal Abortion law Administration Capital punishment Cause of death Civil death Coroner Death - qualified jury Death certificate Declared death in absentia Death row Dying declaration Faked death Inquest Legal death Murder Prohibition of death Right to die Suspicious death Trust law Will Fields Forensic pathology Funeral director Mortuary science Necrobiology Post-mortem chemistry Post-mortem photography Taphonomy Biostratinomy Thanatology Other Apparent death Dark tourism Darwin Awards Dead pool Death and culture Death anniversary Death anxiety Death deity Personification of death Dying - and - rising god Psychopomp Death camp Death drive Death education Death from laughter Death hoax Death knell Death march Death messenger Death notification Death panel Death poem Death pose Death squad Death threat Death trajectory Dignified death Extinction Fan death Festival of the Dead Fascination with death Homicide Information - theoretic death Last rites Martyr Megadeath Museum of Death Necronym Necrophilia Necrophobia The Order of the Good Death Predation Sacrifice human animal Spiritual death Suicide Assisted suicide Thanatosensitivity Undead Voodoo death Portal WikiProject Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Preventable_causes_of_death&oldid=804322994 '' Categories : Causes of death Death - related lists Demography Prevention Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list Wikipedia articles in need of updating from July 2013 All Wikipedia articles in need of updating Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano Edit links This page was last edited on 8 October 2017, at 06 : 37. 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Question: most preventable cause of death and disease in the united states
Answer: smoking