Many would assume that the United States (US) is included in the healthiest countries due to its position as the tenth richest in the world. After all, many can afford to join a gym, healthy food, and a wide variety of sports and hobbies that can double as exercise. Also, you'd think Americans would have good health, given how much they spend on healthcare each year.
Nevertheless, in spite of these advantages, the US isn't even in the top 20 healthiest countries worldwide. Compared with other developed nations, the United States ranks just 35th in terms of the health of its population as a whole. Learn more about the United States' situation below.
The Inferior Health Status Of The United States
Although healthcare spending as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) has increased in every country since the 1980s, outpacing global GDP growth, the US remains far from the leader. Forecasts say that this trend will continue and that by 2025, healthcare spending in the US will make up 19% of the GDP.
In spite of this, the US has the highest burden of chronic diseases, as 6 in 10 adults have a chronic disease and has twice the rate of obesity as the rest of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average. Furthermore, the US has the highest rate of preventable deaths and the highest number of hospitalizations due to such diseases.
Compared with peer countries such as Italy, Singapore, Iceland, and other healthy and capable countries, there are several areas of health where the US performs poorly:
1. Diabetes And Obesity
The US has, for several years, the highest obesity rate of any country with a high per capita income. People of all ages have alarmingly high rates of obesity. Moreover, the US has one of the highest prevalence rates of diabetes upon adulthood compared with other countries.
2. Infant Mortality Rate
The US has had the highest infant mortality rate among industrialized nations for several decades. It has a poor track record of many undesirable outcomes, including low birth weight. Among countries with high per capita incomes, the US has one of the shortest average lifespans for children.
3. Heart Disease
The US has the second-highest death rate from coronary heart disease among its 17 peer countries. American adults over the age of 50 have a higher risk of developing and dying from cardiovascular disease compared with their counterparts in other wealthy countries.
4. Injuries, Accidents, And Homicides
Compared with other developed nations, the US has a disproportionately high death rate among its youth due to motor vehicle accidents, non-motor vehicle accidents, and violence. Since the 50s, the death rate for young people in the US due to accidents and violence has been higher than the global average.
5. Teenage Pregnancy And STD
Compared with high-income nations, the US has had the highest teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) infection rates since the 1990s. However, recent research by the CDC has reported that ever since 2018, the US teen birth rate has been gradually declining by 4% - 7% yearly.
6. AIDS And HIV
Compared with other developed nations, the US has the highest rate of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases and the second highest rate of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. However, regarding US numbers alone, HIV cases are also gradually decreasing yearly, according to the CDC. Moreover, death rates have significantly declined due to improved treatments for both AIDS and HIV as of 2023. .
7. Drug And Alcohol Use
Even when excluding deaths caused by drunk driving, the US still has the highest rate of life expectancy loss due to drugs and alcohol among first-world countries. In 2017, one out of every eight adults living in the US struggled with some form of substance abuse.
8. Disability
Older people in the US are more likely to have arthritis and have trouble moving around than seniors in developed nations. About 1 in 4 adults, or 58.5 million Americans, have arthritis. It accounts for a significant portion of work-related disabilities and results in yearly costs of $303.5 billion in medical treatment and lost wages.
Takeaway
Considering the abundance of resources in the US and the staggeringly high per capita healthcare spending, these health disadvantages are all the more striking. If current trends aren't reversed, the US will continue to fall further behind other countries in health outcomes and mortality rates.
Still, it could also impact the economy and prosperity of the United States as other countries benefit from healthier populations and more productive workforces. American youth, in particular, has to start living healthier to have a brighter future for them and their country.
The citizens of the US need to put a lot more pressure on their elected officials to pass new laws guaranteeing them access to affordable healthcare for all, stricter pharmaceutical industry regulations, tighter firearms controls, and a more equitable economic system.
Americans must also appreciate the significance of good nutrition and general health to live long and fulfilling lives. The vast majority of doctors agree that these top priorities are needed to get health care in the country back on par with the rest of the developed world.