But the largest disparities in life expectancy reflect differences in educational attainment: On average, individuals with a college or advanced degree live more than 10 years longer than those without a high school degree. Women live longer than men, while whites and Hispanics live longer than blacks. Beginning in the 1960s medical advances and changes in people’s behavior turned the tide on these diseases, and mortality improvements since then have been driven primarily by better treatment and disease management.ĭespite the steady decline in overall mortality, differences persist between demographic and socioeconomic groups. As a result, cardiovascular disease and cancer accounted for nearly three quarters of all deaths by 1950. In the early part of the twentieth century, public health measures and improved nutrition led to rapid reductions in mortality caused by infectious diseases. While the overall pace of mortality decline has been fairly steady, its causes have varied over time. 1 As shown in Figure 1, life expectancy at birth rose by more than 30 years over this period, from 47 to 79. By 2013, that rate was roughly one in 140, a cumulative improvement of more than two thirds. In 1900, one in 40 Americans died annually. The United States has enjoyed more than a century of nearly uninterrupted declines in mortality and rising longevity. Mortality in the United States: Past, Present, and Future
0 kommentar(er)
