life expectancy

A new study published in PLoS Medicine has found that between 1983 and 1999, the death rate in women increased in a large number of the worst-off counties in the US, primarily because of chronic diseases related to smoking, high blood pressure, and obesity.

As a result of this stagnation or decline in the health of the worst-off segment of the population, inequality in life expectancy across different counties of the US worsened.

While life expectancy has increased significantly for educated people over the last twenty years, it has plateaued for less educated people.

In other words, those whose education level does not exceed high school have not been sharing the benefits of prolonged lifespan.

This is the case for both African Americans and Caucasians. Deaths related to tobacco use account for at least one-fifth of the growth in mortality differences by education that create this life expectancy gap.