health

Americans with more education live longer, study finds

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 20, 2012

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Despite advances in health care, significant disparities exist in life expectancy between Americans with the highest level of education and those without a high school degree, said a study in the August issue of Health Affairs.

In 2008, white men and women with at least a bachelor’s degree had life expectancies far greater than blacks who didn’t complete high school, data show. Life expectancy was 14.2 years more for white men with college degrees than black men who did not finish high school. White women lived 10.3 years longer than black women in those education categories.

Those gaps have widened over time, the study said. In 1990, the disparities in life expectancy at birth for the most-educated whites and the least-educated blacks were 13.4 years for men and 7.7 years for women (link).

Researchers examined data from multiple sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The study’s authors recommend implementing policies that encourage lifelong learning for people of all ages and races to help improve life expectancy among the U.S. population.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/08/20/hlbf0820.htm.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn