The average life expectancy for a person living in the United States is shorter than the life expectancy for a person living in other developed nations, according to a recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC researchers found that rises in gun violence, illegal drug use and car accidents in the U.S. are largely responsible for the longevity gap.
The CDC study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), examined data and found that the leading causes of untimely deaths in this country include motor vehicle crashes, violence, and drug overdoses. Meanwhile, several other developed nations have significantly lower death rates. The other countries that CDC researchers looked at include the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria.
Gender as a Determining Factor in Injury-Related Deaths
In 2012, the average life expectancy for men in the U.S. was 76.4 years. Meanwhile, women had a life expectancy of 81.2 years. A major reason for this large disparity is likely the willingness of males to take unnecessary risks when it comes to their health. According to CDC researchers, injury-related deaths were largely responsible for the untimely deaths of males in the U.S.
Perhaps not unexpectedly, both men and women in other developed nations tend to live, on average, two years longer than men in the U.S. As far as the average life expectancy of men in the U.S. and these other countries, CDC researchers attributed almost half of the difference to injury-related deaths. One of the most startling examples of this comes from gun deaths. While the U.S. had a rate of 18.4 gun-related deaths per 100,000 men, the other countries examined in the study saw just one gun death per 100,000 men. At the same time, the prevalence of fatal car accidents in the U.S. was also a major factor.
For additional information about data on United States fatality rates, access the Yahoo.com article, “Gun, Drug, Car Deaths Loom Large in US Longevity Gap: Study.”
At Andres, Berger & Tran, we are passionate about helping our clients get the compensation they need, want and deserve after a car, truck or motorcycle accident. We’re on your side and we will fight for you and your family. Contact our Cherry Hill, NJ office today for a free consultation about your case.
