Avoidable mortality has increased in the U.S. for more than a decade, contrasting decreases seen in many other high-income countries, according to a study published March 24 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
For the study, researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health analyzed mortality data from the CDC and World Health Organization for people 74 and younger between 2009 and 2021, spanning all 50 states and 40 high-income countries. Avoidable mortality includes deaths that could have been prevented through effective public health measures or timely, high-quality healthcare.
The study found avoidable mortality rose in all 50 states, with a national average increase of 32.5 deaths per 100,000 people — driven largely by preventable causes. In contrast, rates fell by 25.2 per 100,000 in the European Union and 22.8 per 100,000 across 38 other high-income countries. Only during the COVID-19 pandemic did peer nations experience similar reversals.
The findings suggest that systemic healthcare issues and inadequate public policy may be contributing to worse outcomes in the U.S., according to lead author Irene Papanicolas, a professor of health services, policy and practice at Brown’s School of Public Health in Providence, R.I.
“We’ve known for some time that life expectancy has been getting worse in the U.S., but now we can see that the country is on a different trajectory from other high-income countries,” she said in a March 24 news release. “Other countries are getting better at reducing avoidable deaths through prevention and treatment, but in the U.S., these deaths are growing.”
Learn more here.
