The average age of an American at death has been going down since 2014, and just recently took a steep dive in 2021, seven years later. I was trained and grew up in an era that believed in “American exceptionalism”. I took it for granted that we had the best medical system in the world, and our scientists and medical professionals were outpacing everyone else. Our lifespan then, as a basic measure of our success, should therefore be outpacing the world. That is not happening.
For your primary care provider, this is sad news. The focus of our work as practitioners in the community is to help people live longer, more healthy lives. How could this be happening? What is driving us backwards as a nation, when we so expect to be moving forward? Our technology certainly has moved us forward, hasn’t it? As always, there is good science out there to look at…
What are the drivers of this shift? The data says some interesting things: It turns out that COVID itself in 2020-2021 was the major factor followed by unintentional injuries and poisonings (including drug overdoses), accidents, and suicide. American men in particular are dying younger. The gap between the average lifespan from birth for men and women has widened significantly in the past few years. Men live an average of 73.5 years as of 2021 and women live 79.3 years.
Since 2020, two issues rise to the surface: we were hit hard by a dangerous virus, an infectious disease, and a proliferation of despair, leading to the second section of mortality above, popularly seen in the media as overdose and suicide deaths. These seem to be hitting males at a higher rate.
The comparable country average lifespan is 80 for men and 84.6 for women (in other words, countries with similar economic standing and stability). Combined the average life expectancy in the US is 76.4 years from a peak in 2014 at 78.9. It’s helpful to compare apples to apples: comparing ourselves to Ukraine or Sudan, both war zones, would not be helpful.
At the same time as our lifespan decreased, we spent twice as much on health care per capita as others. In Japan, the average lifespan is 84.5 years but the average spending per capita (per person) is 40% of what we spend in the United States. So, despite the fact that we have amazing resources, technology and infrastructure, we comparatively do a poor job of actually helping people live longer.
How do I explain this and what is the way out of this perilous swamp of data? Why are we so resistent to believe it?
We do a great job saving lives at the last minute, but a poor job preventing premature death by helping folks live healthier lives from the onset. The tragic contribution of despair to our death rate is indicative of a culture that ignores our mental health as a nation.
The way out is to concentrate on the determinents of health (Healthy Choices) both as a nation and individuals and put our plan into action. When you hear stories about huge statistics like our national life expectancy, it certainly can make a person tune out and switch to news they want to hear. So, concentrating on daily steps, food choice and your mental health is basically the call for all of us. Prioritize your well being, physically, mentally and emotionally. Spend time learning about healthy choices, daily habits, and living with a sense of purpose and adventure! Think about your money and time as resources to invest in health.
I took some time today to think about 2024, and make some actionable goals to work on in multiple categories: health, work, family and fun. So I recommend NOT making weight loss a goal. That is not an action step. Instead make a goal that has a specific target and activity to do: eat steel cut oats with berries 3 times weekly for breakfast instead of cereal for the next year. Walk 10,000 steps 3/7 days and 7000 or more the rest every week for a year. Go on a 5 mile + hike monthly. Visit the nearest national park this spring. See a group of friends in the first three months of the year, and plan some fun.
We know that this particular investment has great potential to pay off. If we all work on this together, we can turn this boat to a better destination.
Helpful data websites:
https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2022/new-report-details-steps-to-reverse-decline-in-us-life-expectancy
Myhealthadventure 
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