According to the Washington Post (2/9, Johnson) “Wonkblog,” a research letter published online Feb. 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that “guns, drugs and motor vehicle crashes account for half of the life-expectancy gap between men in the United States and other high-income countries.” While the US spends more per person on healthcare than any other nation, life expectancy in the US “trails that of people in other high-income countries.”
The AP (2/9, Tanner) reports the findings strengthen “the argument that improving US life expectancy will require addressing premature deaths among younger ages, said Jessica Ho, a Duke University sociologist.” Ho said buttressing “gun laws, making safer cars and addressing the root causes of drug use, including income inequality, are among policies that might help.”
Bloomberg News (2/9, Tozzi) reports that “political realities make bridging the chasm between European and US laws unlikely” regarding gun violence. Nevertheless, “some American firearm deaths could be avoided by encouraging safer gun storage.” Deaths from illicit drugs and prescription medications may also “be affected by looser US practices in prescribing opioids, according to the JAMA report.”
HealthDay (2/9, Preidt) reports that under the pilot 24/7 Sobriety Program launched in South Dakota in 2005, offenders “must undergo breathalyzer tests twice a day or wear bracelets that continuously check for alcohol.” Individuals “who skip or fail the tests are immediately jailed for a short time.” The study, conducted by RAND Corp. researchers, found that “the largest reductions occurred among causes of death linked with excessive drinking.”
Related Links:
— “Three very American reasons we’re still so unhealthy,” Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post, February 9, 2016.