A recent study has shown a significant increase in the mortality rate among young adults in the United States in recent years, with drug overdose being the primary cause.
According to a research report published on September 23 by The Milbank Quarterly, the mortality rate among the 25-44 age group in the United States has increased by 71.2% from 2010 to 2021, rising from about 140 per 100,000 people to 239, surpassing the increases seen in other age groups.
The author of the report is Dr. Steven H. Woolf, a physician and researcher at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.
The study integrated data from the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. mortality database.
The report reveals that drug overdose tops the list of causes of death among adults aged 25-44 in the United States. The drug overdose mortality rate in this age group has increased sevenfold since 1999, rising from about 7.7 per 100,000 people to over 54, surpassing circulatory system diseases like heart disease and stroke as the leading cause of death in 2015.
During the same period, suicide mortality rates increased by 41.3%, traffic-related deaths increased by 43.5%, and homicide rates increased by 75.5%.
Surprisingly, the mortality rate from diseases has also been consistently rising. Between 2010 and 2019, deaths among young people from diabetes and other metabolic and hormonal diseases increased by nearly a quarter.
From 2010 to 2023, deaths related to alcohol-induced liver damage more than doubled, while deaths from alcohol-related mental health disorders more than doubled. Premature deaths from conditions like hypertension and endocrine metabolic disorders have also sharply increased.
The report indicates that by 2023, the life expectancy of Americans ranks 38th in countries with populations exceeding 1 million, lagging behind Western Europe, Canada, Japan, Australia, as well as Chile, Costa Rica, South Korea, and several Gulf countries. The mortality risk for people under 40 in 60 countries is lower than in the United States.
Woolf noted in the report that this disparity has been widening since the 1990s and has accelerated sharply since 2010.
The analysis in the report points out that compared to other developed countries, there are five main reasons behind the health disadvantages of Americans: a lack of universal health coverage, high-calorie intake, high-risk personal behaviors involving firearms, severe income inequality and poverty, and a city environment dominated by cars rather than walking and green spaces, as well as a lower emphasis on public policies for collective welfare compared to other countries of similar size.
Experts told Newsweek that lack of access to healthcare, affordability, and prevention could exacerbate the current worsening trends in the future.
Even with health insurance, the high out-of-pocket costs often lead many people to delay or forgo treatment, resulting in the worsening of conditions that could have been addressed earlier.
The research emphasizes that closing the gap with other high-income countries requires addressing systemic issues such as healthcare access, socioeconomic status, environmental risks, and health resource inequalities.