Faltering mortality improvements at young-middle ages in high-income English-speaking countries.
Humans
Life Expectancy
/ trends
Male
Female
Middle Aged
Developed Countries
/ statistics & numerical data
COVID-19
/ mortality
Adult
Aged
Mortality
/ trends
Australia
/ epidemiology
United States
/ epidemiology
Canada
/ epidemiology
Cause of Death
/ trends
United Kingdom
/ epidemiology
Ireland
/ epidemiology
New Zealand
/ epidemiology
Aged, 80 and over
Adolescent
Young Adult
SARS-CoV-2
Child
Child, Preschool
Infant
English-speaking countries
cohort survival
injury and substance-related mortality
life expectancy trends
mortality at young-middle ages
Journal
International journal of epidemiology
ISSN: 1464-3685
Titre abrégé: Int J Epidemiol
Pays: England
ID NLM: 7802871
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
14 Aug 2024
14 Aug 2024
Historique:
received:
26
02
2024
accepted:
10
09
2024
medline:
7
10
2024
pubmed:
7
10
2024
entrez:
7
10
2024
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, stagnating life expectancy trends were reported in some high-income countries (HICs). Despite previous evidence from country-specific studies, there is a lack of comparative research that provides a broader perspective and challenges existing assumptions. This study aims to examine longevity trends and patterns in six English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States) by combining period and cohort perspectives and to compare them with other HICs. Using data from the Human Mortality and World Health Organization Mortality Databases, we estimated partial life expectancy, lifespan inequality and cohort survival differences for 1970-2021, as well as the contribution of causes of death to the gap in life expectancy between English-speaking countries and the average for other HICs in 2017-19. In the pre-pandemic period, the increase in life expectancy slowed in all English-speaking countries, except Ireland, mainly due to stagnating or rising mortality at young-middle ages. Relative to other HICs, those born in Anglophone countries since the 1970s experienced relative survival disadvantage, largely attributable to injuries (mainly suicides) and substance-related mortality (mainly poisonings). In contrast, older cohorts enjoyed advantages for females in Australia and Canada and for males in all English-speaking countries except the United States. Although future gains in life expectancy in wealthy societies will increasingly depend on reducing mortality at older ages, adverse health trends at younger ages are a cause for concern. This emerging and avoidable threat to health equity in English-speaking countries should be the focus of further research and policy action.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, stagnating life expectancy trends were reported in some high-income countries (HICs). Despite previous evidence from country-specific studies, there is a lack of comparative research that provides a broader perspective and challenges existing assumptions. This study aims to examine longevity trends and patterns in six English-speaking countries (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States) by combining period and cohort perspectives and to compare them with other HICs.
METHODS
METHODS
Using data from the Human Mortality and World Health Organization Mortality Databases, we estimated partial life expectancy, lifespan inequality and cohort survival differences for 1970-2021, as well as the contribution of causes of death to the gap in life expectancy between English-speaking countries and the average for other HICs in 2017-19.
RESULTS
RESULTS
In the pre-pandemic period, the increase in life expectancy slowed in all English-speaking countries, except Ireland, mainly due to stagnating or rising mortality at young-middle ages. Relative to other HICs, those born in Anglophone countries since the 1970s experienced relative survival disadvantage, largely attributable to injuries (mainly suicides) and substance-related mortality (mainly poisonings). In contrast, older cohorts enjoyed advantages for females in Australia and Canada and for males in all English-speaking countries except the United States.
CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
Although future gains in life expectancy in wealthy societies will increasingly depend on reducing mortality at older ages, adverse health trends at younger ages are a cause for concern. This emerging and avoidable threat to health equity in English-speaking countries should be the focus of further research and policy action.
Identifiants
pubmed: 39373551
pii: 7811310
doi: 10.1093/ije/dyae128
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Subventions
Organisme : Australian Research Council
ID : DP210100401
Informations de copyright
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.