U.S. Life Expectancy Now at 78 Years

I was reading the other day that rising obesity rates in the U.S. may be responsible for as many as 186,000 deaths per year. Many people are literally eating their way to an early grave! Currently, the life expectancy in the U.S. is around 78 years.

Between 1880 and 1945, U.S. life expectancy rose from 40 to 65 years old. Rising life expectancy preceded the discovery of most antibiotics, vaccines and many modern treatments for cancer, heart disease and kidney failure. However, now we're seeing a decrease in life expectancy (see chart below). Drug and alcohol abuse are often blamed for reductions in life expectancy, particularly among young Americans, but recent research suggests that the U.S. faces multiple challenges when it comes to longevity and public health. For instance, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in America, killing more than 15 times as many people as drug overdoses.

Research shows that 74% of all deaths in the U.S. are caused by heart disease; cancer; unintentional injuries; chronic lower respiratory disease; stroke; Alzheimer’s disease; diabetes; influenza and pneumonia; kidney disease; and, suicide. Major increases in deaths are reported to be unintentional injuries, Alzheimer’s disease and suicide.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past

2017’s Best & Worst States for Children’s Health Care

The United States ranks 28th in life expectancy among wealthy countries, according to the most recent Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development data. It ranks 42nd in life expectancy among all countries, according to 2016 data from the Central Intelligence Agency. In my opinion, that's very disturbing — especially when taking into account that health spending is approaching $10,000 per person, which amounts to twice and even three times the spending in other affluent nations!

WalletHub.com recently posted an article that I believe is well worth any parents' time to read. In part, the article states:

Raising a child in America is more expensive than ever, and health care accounts for a big chunk of the bill. And while more kids are insured today than at any other point in history, the higher coverage rate hasn’t translated to lower health costs for parents. Per-capita spending on children’s health care in 2014 reached $2,660 — having increased by more than 5 percent every year since 2010 — due mainly to rising health costs, according to a recent report from the Health Cost Institute. But it’s a different story in every state. WalletHub’s data team therefore compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 key indicators of cost, quality and access to children’s health care. Our data set ranges from share of children aged 0 to 17 in excellent or very good health to pediatricians and family doctors per capita. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

_______________________________________

Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past