Demographic Disparities

Women accounted for a larger share of VID-associated deaths and had higher age-adjusted mortality than men throughout the study period. The largest sex disparity was for smoking, with males 40 times more likely to smoke than females. VID mortality declined in every racial and ethnic group, but the burden was uneven. American Indian and Alaska Native patients had the highest mortality for most of the study period. Older employees were more likely to prefer hot foods and less likely to have hepatitis B or HPV vaccination. Males had higher rates across nearly all risk categories. Higher education was associated with lower smoking prevalence, lower central obesity, lower household air pollution exposure, and better screening uptake. Blue-collar workers had lower HBsAg testing and hepatitis B vaccination rates than white-collar workers. The article does not claim women cannot fast; it argues they may need more variation, refeeding days, and attention to stress signals. Marital status was generally not associated with most risk factors, except HPV vaccination rates. Women are disproportionately missed by standard antibody testing because they often show fewer IgG bands than the conventi…