| I want to know why there isn’t more focus on diseases that affect men when the life expectancy of women is at least 5 years longer?
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Posted on 06/18/2008 10:47:51 AM PDT by neverdem
Last week, the National Center for Health Statistics announced that the average life expectancy for Americans has risen to an all-time high of 78 years. In addition, record high life expectancy was recorded for both white males and black males (76 years and 70 years, respectively) as well as for white females and black females (81 years and 76.9 years). This is obviously good news. But a question nags—why are people in other countries living longer on average than Americans? After all, we are the country that spends the most money per capita on health care.
For example, according to the World Health Organization, average life expectancy in Japan is 83 years; Australia, 82; Switzerland, 82; Canada, 81; Sweden, 81; Spain, 81; Italy, 81; France, 81; Germany, 80; and the United Kingdom, 79. In all, there are 29 countries whose citizens have longer life expectancies than Americans.
So why do Americans die younger than people living in most other developed democracies? Well, there is the Michael Moore answer delivered in his "documentary" Sicko—it's because we lack a benevolent government funded health care system. But life expectancy is not dependent on just medical care. For example, Texas A&M health economist Robert Ohsfeldt and health economics consultant John Schneider point out that deaths from accidents and homicides in America are much higher than in any other of the developed countries. Taking accidental deaths and homicides between 1980 and 1999 into account, they calculate that instead of being at near the bottom of the list of developed countries, U.S. life expectancy would actually rank at the top.
However as Carl Bialik, the invaluable Wall Street Journal "Numbers Guy" columnist, notes Ohsfeldt and Schneider's analysis does not account for the fact a better health care system would have saved more accident victims and thus would have boosted life expectancy. In fact, in 2002, Harvard researchers argued that the U.S. murder rate is much lower than it would otherwise have been because so many assault victims are being saved by improved medical care. Nevertheless, Ohsfeldt and Schneider are likely right that U.S. life expectancy is being depressed by our higher accident and homicide rates.
America's relatively high infant mortality rate also lowers our life expectancy ranking. A 2007 study done by Baruch College economists June and David O"Neill sheds some light on why U.S. infant mortality rates are higher—more low weight births. In their study, U.S. infant mortality was 6.8 per 1,000 live births, and Canada's was 5.3. Low birth weight significantly increases an infant's chance of dying. Teen mothers are much more likely to bear low birth weight babies and teen motherhood is almost three times higher in the U.S. than it is in Canada. The authors calculate that if Canada had the same the distribution of low-weight births as the U.S., its infant mortality rate would rise above the U.S. rate of 6.8 per 1,000 live births to 7.06. On the other hand, if the U.S. had Canada's distribution of low-weight births, its infant mortality rate would fall to 5.4. In other words, the American health care system is much better than Canada's at saving low birth weight babies —we just have more babies who are likely to die before their first birthdays.
Life expectancy rates also depend on personal habits such as smoking, diet, and physical activity. Interestingly, U.S. smoking rates are lower (17 percent of adults) than for many developed countries with higher life expectancies. For instance, 30 percent of Japanese adults smoke daily. In France, 23 percent of adults smoke; Germany, 25 percent; Switzerland, 25 percent; Spain, 28 percent, and the U.K., 25 percent.
The fact that Americans tend to be a lot fatter than the citizens of other rich developed countries increases their risks of heart disease and diabetes. A recent international survey reported that 31 percent of Americans are obese (body mass index over 30), whereas only 23 percent of Britons, 21 percent of Australians and New Zealanders, 14 percent of Canadians, 13 percent of Germans, 9 percent of the French, and 3 percent of Japanese have body mass index measurements over 30.
Taking all these unhealthy proclivities into consideration, the American health care system is most likely not to blame for our lower life expectancies. Instead, American health care is rescuing enough of us from the consequences of our bad health habits to keep our ranking from being even lower.
Ronald Bailey is reason's science correspondent.
And that's the real Michael Moore answer.
I want to know why there isn’t more focus on diseases that affect men when the life expectancy of women is at least 5 years longer?
Could it possibly be that other countries do not take the amount of prescription drugs that we in the U.S.A. take? I believe many prescription drugs are not needed and are prescribed because of advertisments telling us that we need these drugs. Just askin’
And the US counts as neonatal deaths those that many other countries wouldn’t count at all - babies too early to save doesn’t count for them, and viability is dependent on the techonology and willingness to expend the resources. So a 23.5 weeker who lives a day counts for us, but doesn’t count for many another.
| I want to know why there isn’t more focus on diseases that affect men when the life expectancy of women is at least 5 years longer?
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I am delighted to see “American health care SYSTEM” was not used in the header. That would imply that the kudos were going to the federal Medicare and VA SYSTEMS which are dysfunctional to say the least. Let's hear it for good old capitalism.
btt
Doctors Divided on Use of Electronic Records
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
btt
I take it you did not follow the link. Or even continue reading past that sentence. You have Trigger Mouse Syndrome :)
I did read the link FYI and it went on to say, women were suffering because men had a shorter life span.
I dont think the women are suffering, quite frankly, i believe they are jumping for joy. : )
Because men, especially white men, are no longer worth any more than they can bear in taxes to pay for everyone else.
Work hard, follow orders, shut up and die.
In vitro fertilization & fertility drugs also raise the rates of low birthweight babies...and of infant & maternal mortality, largely because many of the mothers are older and there's an increased risk of multiple births.
I was ranting in 1990 that society was being feminized. The current movement is to homosexualize society which will be a 100 fold worse. Queers with access to kids is what is coming down the pike.
Sir, if that is a rant, then we have been ranting together for a long time.
This rush to genetic suicide needs to be arrested or we are going to be extinct, and our culture is going to be ashes.
I really went overboard when the courts in some places ruled that a man can be imprisoned for rape if a girl changes her mind smack dab in the middle of the sex act itself, after she has consented, possibly initiated, the act itself, taken off all of her clothes and then commenced sex itself..
Talk about gelding the male!
I have no time for people who scream "homophobe" at me. - I am not in fear of homos, I just realize that they are genetic dead ends, just as cannibals are, and find them repugnant.
I honor the ancestors who fought for millenia to give me life by being proud to have and raise their descendents. - I do not abort my unborn or dishonor my father by refusing to raise his genetic offspring while choosing to have sex with men, or dogs, or trees...
hows that for a rant?
Thank you for your post - bill
Ah, you are a kindred spirit. I viewed your page of which I have none. Tell me about that car.
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Because we need to increase funding for women. Women are more likely than men to be sicker, poorer, alone, and with greater care needs at the end of their lives. That occurs because men die earlier... but who cares?