New Study Suggests Americans at Higher Rate for Injury, Death Due to Lifestyle

Americans live in a society where food and healthcare are readily available.  But would it surprise you to learn that didn't mean Americans were necessarily any healthier than people in other countries?  A new study from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine asserts Americans are less healthy than 16 other nations, including Japan, Canada, Australia, Britain, France, Portugal, Italy and Germany.  

Researchers identified multiple areas where Americans' health was remarkably poorer at almost every age.  According to the report, we have higher rates of infant mortality, die younger from diabetes and heart disease, are more likely to be murdered or die from a gun, and do poorer in areas such as AIDS, drug abuse, obesity, lung disease, and disabilities.  

What Our Poor Health Means

Poor health can translate to a variety of different outcomes from mortality rates to budget problems.  Healthcare spending is at an all time high, with approximately $8,600 spent per person per year in America.  Yet despite these figures, we are no healthier nor are we any safer from accidents, disease, or disorders. 

In the study, researchers identified:

• Americans are 7 times more likely to be murdered than peers in other countries
• Americans are 20 times more likely to be killed by a gun
• Americans have higher infant mortality rates with 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people compared with peers in other countries with half that rate
• American men live the shortest lives than their counterparts, only living 75.6 years on average
• American women live to be 81 on average, shorter than their counterparts in other countries

What's surprising is that we don't face all of these issues as widespread health issues.  Rarely will you hear of accidents and fatalities associated with crime being lumped in with healthcare. 

Ways to Improve Our Health

Researchers feel that Americans need to get serious about their health.  This includes eating healthier, exercising more, and shifting cultural norms so we are safer from violent crime and accidents.  It seems like a nearly impossible feat when you lump it all together.  How would something like this be accomplished?  If you're looking for advice and help towards living a healthier life, you should ask your doctor for recommendations on lifestyle adjustments.  If you're concerned about an injury sustained in an accident, you should contact a personal injury lawyer to help you and to help send a message that we as Americans need to take our safety more seriously.