Opioid crisis, suicide and metabolic diseases are among the main causes
Life expectancy in the United States fell once again last year, according to research published Monday by the journal Jama Internal Medicine. The country had an average life expectancy of 78.8 in 2019, rising to 76.1 in 2022. In Brazil the average is 77, according to IBGE data for 2021. Countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Turkey, Portugal , United Kingdom and Italy, the averages are above 78 years.
According to researchers from the universities of Harvard, Boston and California, the situation in the USA is even more worrying for men, who have a life expectancy of 73.2 years, compared to 79.1 years for women. This 5.8-year difference is the largest between the sexes since 1996, according to a report published on the medical news site Statistical news.
Around the world, women tend to live longer than men, as they tend to be more vulnerable to chronic diseases, as well as taking much longer to seek medical care – something we usually highlight in this Blue November, a campaign that attracts men’s attention to healthcare.
But what worries North American experts most is that, in addition to Covid-19, the decline in male longevity has a lot to do with the opioid epidemic, suicide and the increase in chronic metabolic diseases, also linked to obesity and alcohol consumption.
The researchers point out that many of these drivers of America’s worsening life expectancy are preventable causes of death. And while that country’s healthcare system provides advanced treatments for many diseases, there is a huge gap when it comes to preventative care.
In the years preceding 2010, the trend was upward, also thanks to anti-smoking campaigns, which led to an increase in longevity and a reduction in the difference in life expectancy between men and women. However, with the worsening mental health of the population and the opioid crisis, hopes of living longer and longer have been dashed.
Pressure on men
Just like in Brazil, sociocultural norms have a strong influence on this scenario. The pressure to overcome tiredness, illness and suffering, because men “cannot” show weakness, is what makes the male population more vulnerable to premature death.
Current research does not provide insights into racial and ethnic differences, something the team hopes to explore further in the future. But the authors note that, according to other studies, the difference between men and women is much greater for African Americans than for whites. By 2022, life expectancy for African American men was 61.5 years, nearly eight years lower than that of African American women.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
