Research scientists published a report and a map in the May issue of the Preventing Chronic Disease journal that illustrates the "Most Distinctive Causes of Death" in the U.S., Live Science reported.

The report revealed that the two common killers in America are still heart disease and cancer.

Yearly, more than 610,000 people in the U.S. die due to heart disease, while more than 580,000 succumb to cancer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

However, there are some atypical causes of death that are more frequent in some states as compared to the rest of the states.

The Colorful Map

From the map's colorful renditions, one could easily point out the "most distinctive" causes of death for each state.

View the map here.

Francis Boscoe, the study co-author and a New York State Cancer Registry research scientist describes the map via Live Science as "a somewhat of a colorful and provocative way of starting some conversations and highlighting some unusual things that are going on."

Methodology

According to the Daily Mail, the proponents of the study procured a list of the 113 causes of death from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Then, the research scientists computed for the "the rate of death from each cause, and divided this by the rate of death from that particular cause in the United States as a whole."

The technique made the authors of the study know which states exhibited higher frequencies of death from certain causes compared to other states of the country.

The Findings

In many states belonging in the North, like Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, flu is the distinctive cause of death.

Alaska and Idaho posted the highest rate for plane or boat accidents than any other state.

In mining states such as Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, the scientists found out that the most distinctive cause of death was from pneumoconioses, a group of lung diseases brought upon inhaling certain dusts.

Some Unexpected Data

New Jersey posted the highest rate of death because of sepsis compared to other states.

In New Mexico, Oregon and Nevada, the most distinctive cause of death is by legal intervention. This is said to be brought about by "law enforcement officers, excluding legal executions."

Importance of the Map

The research scientists noted in their report through Live Science that "Although chronic-disease-prevention efforts should continue to emphasize the most common [national] conditions, an outlier map such as this one should also be of interest to public health professionals."

Knowing is essentially half the battle against these causes. Each region or state can prepare and change some policies or advise their constituents towards a healthier lifestyle to avoid being part of the statistics. Boscoe further emphasized the importance of being informed.

"Simply being aware of the issue often is enough to cause the change ... it can often be a simple fix," Boscoe said on Live Science.