Close X
Monday, November 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

US Life Expectancy Is Flat For Third Straight Year; Last Similar Plateau Was In The 1980s

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 Dec, 2015 10:59 AM
    NEW YORK — Life expectancy in the United States has stalled for three straight years, the government announced Wednesday.
     
    A child born last year can expect to make it to 78 years and 9 1/2 months — the same prediction made for the previous two years.
     
    In most of the years since World War II, life expectancy in the U.S. has inched up — thanks largely to medical advances, public health campaigns and better nutrition and education. The last time it was stuck for three years was in the mid-1980s.
     
    It's not clear why life expectancy has been flat lately, but suicides and fatal drug overdoses probably are playing a role, experts believe.
     
    Some researchers have wondered if U.S. life expectancy will peak, due to the nation's obesity problem and other factors. But there no evidence that's happening now, said Robert Anderson of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
     
    S. Jay Olshansky, a public health professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago, agreed.
     
    "It's too early to tell. Three years does not a trend make," he said.
     
    The United States ranks below nearly 40 other countries in life expectancy, according to the World Bank. Japan and Iceland are at the top of that list, at more than 83 years.
     
    U.S. health officials come up with the life expectancy figure each year by looking at how old people were when they died and the cause of death. They use statistical modeling to predict how long people born today will live if current trends continue.
     
    The CDC report is based on all the 2014 death certificates. There were about 2.6 million deaths, or about 29,000 more than the previous year. The increase reflects the nation's growing and aging population.
     
    Other findings:
     
    — Infant mortality dropped again slightly, to a record low of 5.8 per 1,000 births.
     
    — The 10 top causes of death remained the same: heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases like emphysema and bronchitis, accidents and unintentional injuries, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, flu and pneumonia, kidney disease and suicide.
     
    — Death rates fell significantly for five causes, including the top two — heart disease and cancer.
     
    — The largest increase was in Alzheimer's disease — 8 per cent.
     
    — Suicides and unintentional injuries — a category that includes falls, traffic accidents and drug overdoses — each went up by about 3 per cent.
     
    Overdoses are driving up those death rates, said Ian Rockett, a West Virginia University researcher who studies overdoses and suicides.
     
    Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. have been rising for more than 20 years — primarily from the abuse of powerful prescription painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin. Heroin-related deaths — though far less common than painkiller deaths — have also recently spiked.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    'The 6' Makes A Fashionable Footprint With New Nike Shoes Inspired By Toronto

    'The 6' Makes A Fashionable Footprint With New Nike Shoes Inspired By Toronto
    The nickname assigned to Toronto by hometown hip-hop star Drake has been stamped on new Nike shoes designed by Canadian Erin Cochrane.

    'The 6' Makes A Fashionable Footprint With New Nike Shoes Inspired By Toronto

    Naked, Distressed Couple Arrested Trying To Flee Police In Sooke, B.C.

    Naked, Distressed Couple Arrested Trying To Flee Police In Sooke, B.C.
    RCMP in that community northwest of Victoria say it happened late Tuesday evening when officers were called about reports of screaming.

    Naked, Distressed Couple Arrested Trying To Flee Police In Sooke, B.C.

    Ombudsman Ends Probe Of 10,500 Complaints Into Hydro One; Loses Oversight

    Ombudsman Ends Probe Of 10,500 Complaints Into Hydro One; Loses Oversight
    TORONTO — Ontario's ombudsman has wrapped up investigations into 10,500 complaints about billing errors at Hydro One, but the provincial watchdog can't look into any more problems at the utility because it's being privatized.

    Ombudsman Ends Probe Of 10,500 Complaints Into Hydro One; Loses Oversight

    B.C. Appeal Court Refuses To Chop Sentence For Randall Hopley Who Abducted 3-year-old Boy

    B.C. Appeal Court Refuses To Chop Sentence For Randall Hopley Who Abducted 3-year-old Boy
    A lower court judge determined Randall Hopley was a long-term offender and handed down a six-year-sentence after 26 months were deducted for time served awaiting trial.

    B.C. Appeal Court Refuses To Chop Sentence For Randall Hopley Who Abducted 3-year-old Boy

    Sentence Upheld For Dangerous Offender Dennis Bragg In Kamloops, B.C., Sex Assault

    Sentence Upheld For Dangerous Offender Dennis Bragg In Kamloops, B.C., Sex Assault
    The B.C. Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed a legal challenge on Friday by Dennis Bragg, who was designated a dangerous offender in March 2013.

    Sentence Upheld For Dangerous Offender Dennis Bragg In Kamloops, B.C., Sex Assault

    Canada's Micronutrient Initiative To Help Health Of UP Women

    Canada's Micronutrient Initiative To Help Health Of UP Women
     Canada's Micronutrient Initiative (MI) will invest (Canadian) $5.5 million (around Rs.28 crore) over the next five years in Uttar Pradesh to improve the nutritional status

    Canada's Micronutrient Initiative To Help Health Of UP Women