Mortality and morbidity trends: is there compression of morbidity?
2010
Longer Lives but More Illness for Americans
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Eileen M. Crimmins, Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez
Primary Institution: University of Southern California
Hypothesis
Are Americans living longer but experiencing more health issues?
Conclusion
Americans are living longer but are spending more years with serious diseases and limited mobility.
Supporting Evidence
- The probability that a person aged 65 would live 20 more years doubled to 40% from 1970 to 2005.
- A man who was 20 years old in 2006 could expect to live 56.1 additional years but spend more time with disease.
- The U.S. ranked 49th in life expectancy at birth in 2010.
Takeaway
People in the U.S. are living longer, but they are also dealing with more sickness as they age.
Methodology
Analysis of mortality and morbidity trends from 1970 to 2005.
Limitations
The study does not address the effectiveness of preventive care in detail.
Participant Demographics
Analysis includes data on men and women aged 20 and older.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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