55% of deaths of 15-64 year olds result from personal decisions. 100 years ago it was 5%.
An analysis by Ralph Keeney indicates that over one million of the 2.4 million deaths in 2000 can be attributed to personal decisions and could have been avoided if readily available alternative choices were made.
Separate analyses indicate 46% of deaths due to heart disease and 66% of cancer deaths are attributable to personal decisions, about 55% of all deaths for ages 15–64 are attributable to personal decisions, and over 94% of the deaths attributable to personal decisions result in the death of the individual making the decisions.
Retrospective appraisal suggests that roughly 5% of deaths in 1900and 20%–25% of deaths in 1950 could be attributed to personal decisions
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