A new study co-authored by two University of Wisconsin–Madison professors suggests that longevity gains across all states and regions for people born between 1941 and 2000.
Published in the journal BMJ Open, the study by Héctor Pifarré i Arolas and Jason Fletcher of the La Follette School of Public Affairs, along with José Andrade of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, challenges recent estimates that portrayed progress on extending longevity in the United States as sharply divergent across states and regions.
Using new data from the United States Mortality Database, their updated analyses suggest substantially less disparity in longevity gains since the mid-20th century than a recent paper led by Theodore Holford of the Yale School of Public Health and colleagues. Rather than a simple story of steady divergence, the new study describes a more complex, two- phase pattern: rapid convergence in mid-century, when Southern states made up lost ground with much of the rest of the country-driven in large part by gains in child survival in the South-followed by a second phase in which that convergence largely stalled over the second half of the 20th century.
Key Takeaways From This Study
- The researchers’ results point to universal gains in cohort life expectancy between 1941 and 2000 for all birth cohorts, sexes, and states.
- States are not expected to experience equal gains in longevity, and convergence across states appears to have stalled since the 1950s.
- However, the researchers found no evidence of the radical increase in disparities across states suggested by some earlier estimates.
By investigating regional and state-specific trends, the authors hope this research leads to increased understanding of key drivers of longevity gains, as U.S. states have differed significantly in populations and policies over this period.
You can read the completed study which was published in The British Medical Journal (BMJ Open) by clicking on the link.