Life expectancy in the United States of America is continuing to drop, a new study has found.
Other Countries Are Surpassing the US
According to the American Journal of Public Health, 50 countries have surpassed the United States, in terms of life expectancy, since the 1930s.
The Problem Is Huge
Dr. Steven Woolf, author of the study, said: “The scale of the problem is bigger than we ever thought – older than we thought. The number of countries outperforming the United States is larger than we thought.”
The Decline Began Almost 70 Years Ago
The study revealed that the United States began experiencing an increase in life expectancy in the early 20th century. Thanks to vaccines and sanitation, this continued until the 1950s. It wasn’t to last, however, and – between 1955 and 1968 – the country dropped from 12th in the world to 29th.
People Believed the Decline Began in the 80s
As Dr. Woolf explained, many people believed the decline started in the 1980s. He said: “We cited the 1980s because we haven’t gone far enough in the historical data to see what happened before. A decline in the 1950s raises questions about what was going on then.”
The Actual Numbers
Life expectancy has dropped to 76.1 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is the lowest it’s been since 1996.
Other Countries Are Doing Better
Since 1950, 56 countries with over 500,000 citizens have surpassed the United States in life expectancy. This includes countries with different government systems and middle-income countries.
But Why Are They Doing Better?
Michal Engelman, who works at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said: “Countries that don’t necessarily have all the support systems and infrastructure and policies that exist in higher-income countries are still outperforming the United States. What are they doing in those countries that have enabled their people to live longer?”
The Reasons Are Likely Complex
The United States’ low life expectancy in comparison to other countries is presumably due to a multitude of factors. Engelman said: “The things that influence health and longevity operate on multiple levels. The story of our health goes far beyond the thing that we can personally control.” Regardless, highly processed foods and lack of affordable healthcare are likely contributing issues.
Redditors Had Their Thoughts and Theories
Redditors presented possible explanations for the decline. One user said: “I think there is this pervasive fear of going to the doctor in the United States that will contribute to a generally lower life expectancy. A significant amount of people don’t like going to the doctor unless they absolutely have to because of the potential for massive expenses and continuous frustrations with the ‘corporate’ side of medical care in the country. Because of that, I think issues often aren’t caught early when they could be treated or prevented.”
Most Redditors Blamed the USA’s Healthcare System
Another Reddit user said: “The two most likely culprits are poor access to healthcare and rising obesity rates, both of which have been major topics of national dialogue for decades and neither of which have easy solutions.”
Some Discussed Other Factors
Another Redditor wrote: “I’m in my twenties, and I’ve already had a double-digit number of my old high school and college classmates die from suicide, drug overdoses, car accidents, murder by a family member, murder by a policeman, and a mass shooting. None of these are related to the long-term root causes of dwindling life expectancy. My parents are pushing 70. One is already showing signs of dementia, and the other is on over a dozen prescriptions with side effects worsening their depression. Neither of them were long-term smokers or drug users. I have ‘good’ medical coverage, and I feel incredibly powerless trying to schedule appointments or get any meaningful healthcare done. It’s incredibly bleak out here. I’m expecting to just suddenly drop dead any day.”
There’s a Vast Difference Between States
While life expectancy, on the whole, is decreasing in the United States, the increase and decrease is different across the country. Engelman said: “States doing very well – like Hawaii, New York, and other high performers – are ranked among some of the healthiest countries in the world.”
Some More Figures
Between 1950 and 1954, life expectancy increased by 0.21 years per year. From 1955 to 1973, the life expectancy increase dropped to 0.1 years per year. Between 1974 and 1982, the increase grew to 0.34 years per year. Unfortunately, the increase dropped again; between 1983 and 2009, the increase was 0.15 years per year and it fell to 0.06 years per year between 2010 and 2019.
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