Americans’ health worst among high-income countries

infants, children, and adolescents in the United States die younger and have greater rates of illness and injury than youth in other countries.”

The release notes that the panel did find that the United States outperforms its peers in some areas of health and health-related behavior. 

People in the United States over age 75 live longer, and Americans have lower death rates from stroke and cancer, better control of blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and lower rates of smoking.

Root causes
This health disadvantage exists even though the United States spends more per capita on health care than any other nation.  Although documented flaws in the health care system may contribute to poorer health, the panel concluded that many factors are responsible for the nation’s health disadvantage.

The report examines the role of underlying social values and public policies in understanding why the United States is outranked by other nations on both health outcomes and the conditions that affect health.  For example, Americans are more likely to engage in certain unhealthy behaviors, from heavy caloric intake to behaviors that increase the risk of fatal injuries, the report says.  The United States has relatively high rates of poverty and income inequality and is lagging behind other countries in the education of young people.

The panel’s research suggests, however, that the U.S. health disadvantage is not solely a reflection of the serious health disadvantages that are concentrated in the United States among poor or uninsured people or ethnic and racial minorities.  Americans still fare worse than people in other countries even when the analysis is limited to non-Hispanic whites and people with relatively high incomes and health insurance, nonsmokers, or people who are not obese.

The report recommends an intensified effort to pursue established national health objectives.  It calls for a comprehensive outreach campaign to alert the American public about the U.S. health disadvantage and to stimulate a national discussion about its implications.  In parallel, it recommends data collection and research to better understand the factors responsible for the U.S. disadvantage and potential solutions, including lessons that can be learned from other countries.

“Research is important, but we should not wait for more data before taking action, because we already know what to do.  If we fail to act, the disadvantage will continue to worsen and our children will face shorter lives and greater rates of illness than their peers in other rich nations,” Woolf said.

The study was sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

—- Read more in U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health (National Academies Press, 2013)