Americans Live Shorter Than People from Other Rich, Developed Countries

An average male in the United States lives 75 years. This is one and a half years shorter than in Great Britain and as many as three years shorter than in Australia. BBC News claims that scientists have found out the reason.

Scientists from University of Washington in Seattle and from the Imperial College in London have compared the data concerning the predicted average longevity and causes of death in various highly developed countries.

According to the scientists, there is no proven connection between the Americans’ shorter lifespan and racial diversity or the abundance of the society. The scientists highlight the obvious reasons of this situation: every third American adult is obese. The diet of an average citizen of the United States is extremely unhealthy: it is rich in salt, fat and sugar but few fruits and vegetables. Moreover, cigarettes are still killing a lot of people but the U.S. government does not fight with it as radically as the Australians, for example.

However, there are also reasons which are not so obvious. Scientists also point to health services. In America, it is far from perfect and not only for the poor. The richest people do not benefit from the fact that the quality of health services is so diversified for different social groups.

“More dentists whiten teeth than fix bad teeth and so on,” says Danny Dorling from a British university in Sheffield.

More and more dentists deal with whitening teeth instead of filling the teeth of those who need it, says Danny Dorling from a British University in Sheffield. “Top income groups are badly affected because their doctors are not necessarily mainly interested in their health but work for organizations that have to make an income. I am not suggesting it is deliberate but you make more money out of a patient who spends more on many drugs and investigatory operations than one who lives longer with less intervention.” Plastic surgeries, a lot of needless medications, examinations and interventions are good examples. In a system where the access to health service is more balanced, everybody benefits.