Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Life Expectancy For American Males Has Plummeted
Stat: Life Expectancy For Men In U.S. Falls To 73 Years — Six Years Less Than Women
The life expectancy of men in the U.S. is nearly six years shorter than that of women, according to new research published on Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine. At least partially as a consequence of over 1 million Covid-19 deaths, life expectancy in the U.S. has declined significantly over the past few years, falling from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77 in 2020 and 76.1 in 2022 — undoing over two decades of progress. This puts the country far behind its wealthy peers: Countries such as Japan, Korea, Portugal, the U.K., and Italy all enjoy a life expectancy of 80 years or more. Countries such as Turkey (78.6) and China (78.2) also fare better. (Merelli, 11/13)
The New York Times: An ‘Unsettling’ Drop In Life Expectancy For Men
The gap in life expectancy between men and women in the United States grew to its widest in nearly 30 years, driven mainly by more men dying of Covid and drug overdoses, according to a new study in The Journal of the American Medical Association. In 2021, women had a life expectancy of 79.3 years, compared with 73.5 years for men, the study found. (Ghorayshi, 11/13)
In other health and wellness news —
CIDRAP: US Flu Activity Rises In Most Regions, Especially The South
In its latest update, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today that flu activity and hospitalizations continue to rise, especially in the South. Covering the week ending November 4, the report said outpatient visits for respiratory illnesses are now at the national baseline of 2.9%. (Schnirring, 11/13)
The Washington Post: Children Who Read Regularly Tend To Do Better On Later Cognitive Tests
Young children who spend about 12 hours a week reading for pleasure tend to do better on cognitive tests and have better mental health when they are adolescents than those who have not developed this reading habit, according to research published in the journal Psychological Medicine. (Searing, 11/13)
NBC News: Cardiac Arrest Deaths Declining In College Athletes, Study Shows
Deaths due to cardiac arrest in college athletes have been steadily declining over the last 20 years, a new study finds. An analysis of data from more than 2 million NCAA athletes revealed that 143 had died after a cardiac arrest that occurred while they were playing their sport and that there was wide variation in the risk of death after a sudden heart stoppage, depending on the player’s race, gender and sport, according to the research presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association. (Carroll, 11/13)
Fox News: Standing And Even Sleeping Are Better For Your Heart Than Sitting, New Study Suggests
Adults are sedentary for an average of 9½ hours each day, studies have shown — and all that sitting could be putting people's heart health at risk. Researchers from the University of College London (UCL) and the University of Sydney found that replacing just a few moments of sitting with any other type of activity — even sleeping or standing — can improve cardiovascular health. The more vigorous activities correlated to greater heart health benefits, the researchers found. (Rudy, 11/14)
USA Today: Cantaloupe Recall: Fruit Sold In 10 States Have Risk Of Salmonella
Sofia Produce LLC, which operates under the name Trufresh, is recalling all sizes of fresh cantaloupes due to a possible salmonella contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last Thursday. The company, which operates out of Arizona, said the cantaloupes were distributed directly to Arizona, California, Maryland, New Jersey, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas and Florida, as well as Canada. (Hauari, 11/13)
