SoylentNews

butthurt [soylentnews.org] writes:

According to a report by the Congressional Research Service [fas.org] (PDF hosted on Cloudflare; archived copy here [webcitation.org]),

Although life expectancy has generally been increasing over time in the United States, researchers have long documented that it is lower for individuals with lower socioeconomic status (SES) compared with individuals with higher SES. Recent studies provide evidence that this gap has widened in recent decades. For example, a 2015 study by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found that for men born in 1930, individuals in the highest income quintile (top 20%) could expect to live 5.1 years longer at age 50 than men in the lowest income quintile. This gap has increased significantly over time. Among men born in 1960, those in the top income quintile could expect to live 12.7 years longer than men in the bottom income quintile. This NAS study finds similar patterns for women: the life expectancy gap between the bottom and top income quintiles of women expanded from 3.9 years for the 1930 birth cohort to 13.6 years for the 1960 birth cohort.

Apparently, all the advances in medical science and healthy living that occurred during this rolling 30-year interval were visited upon the rich a lot more than on the poor.

—The American Prospect [prospect.org]

According to a different study [jamanetwork.com] (open; DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.0918 [doi.org]; archived copy here [webcitation.org]) in JAMA Internal Medicine,

[...] inequalities in life expectancy among counties are large and growing, and much of the variation in life expectancy can be explained by differences in socioeconomic and race/ethnicity factors, behavioral and metabolic risk factors, and health care factors.

In 2014, there was a spread of 20.1 years between the counties with the longest and shortest typical life spans based on life expectancy at birth.

—NPR [npr.org]

additional coverage:

• WPVI-TV [6abc.com] (about JAMA study)
• Time [time.com] (about JAMA study; Javascript required)
• Boston Globe [bostonglobe.com] (about CRS report)
• WESA-FM [wesa.fm] (about JAMA study)
• The Park Record [parkrecord.com] (about JAMA study)

related stories:
Scientists Reverse Ageing in Mammals and Predict Human Trials Within 10 Years [soylentnews.org]
NMN Causes "Anti-Aging" Effects in Mice, Human Trials Underway [soylentnews.org]
Scientists Show Human Aging Rates Vary Widely [soylentnews.org]
Scientists Find Shorter Telomeres in Immune Cells of Soda Drinkers [soylentnews.org]
Monkeys Live Longer on Fewer Calories [soylentnews.org]
Eat More and Die Young [soylentnews.org]
Blood Stem Cells and Lifespan [soylentnews.org]
Can a Machine Predict Your Death? [soylentnews.org]
Eating Large Amounts of Fruits, Vegetables May Benefit Health [soylentnews.org]
Relationships With Family Members, but Not Friends, Increase Lifespan [soylentnews.org]
Epigenetic Clock Controls Aging [soylentnews.org]
30 Genes Influence the Aging Process in Worms, Fish, and Mice [soylentnews.org]
Smart People Live Longer — Here's Why [soylentnews.org]
Silicon Valley's Quest to Extend Life 'Well Beyond 120' [soylentnews.org]
Poor Health And Education Linked To Early Memory Problems [soylentnews.org]
New study: the More Veggies, the Better [soylentnews.org]

Original Submission