U.S. Has Lowest Life Expectancy Among High-Income Developed Countries
The report in the British Medical Journal finds 14 industrialized countries have declining life expectancy rates. Much of the problem in the U.S. centers on the opioid epidemic and the resulting deaths among younger adults. In other countries, the declines focused on people over the age of 65.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
US Sees Drop In Life Expectancy, Largely Due To Opioid Crisis Among Young Adults
The United States is among 14 high-income countries with declining life expectancy rates, according to new research recently published in the British Medical Journal. The research features findings from two separate observational studies, one pointing to the ongoing opioid crisis in the U.S. as a key contributor to recent declines, and another suggesting the declines in both the U.S. and the United Kingdom transcend the opioid epidemic among diverse populations. (Pirani, 8/21)
NPR:
Poll: Most Americans Know About Opioid Antidote And Are Willing To Use It
After the surgeon general called for more people to be prepared with naloxone, we decided to ask Americans about their knowledge about the opioid antidote's availability, attitudes toward using it and experience with the medicine in the latest NPR-IBM Watson Health Health Poll. The survey queried more than 3,000 households nationwide in May. We wondered how many people know about naloxone and the fact that someone doesn't have to be a medical professional to administer it. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they were aware of the antidote and that it could be given by laypeople; 41 percent said they weren't. (Hensley, 8/21)
