Everyone has a story. What's yours?
 Linda Thomas
twitter: @TheNewsChick
About Linda
Linda is the morning news anchor and features reporter for KIRO Radio. This is her local news blog, with an emphasis on social media, technology, Northwest companies, education, parenting, and anything else that grabs her attention.

If you have a news tip or story idea, I'd love to hear from you...

To leave a voice message for Linda about any of her stories call toll free 1-855-251-2363

Follow Me on Pinterest


obese2.jpg
A new report says Americans live sicker and die younger than people in other wealthy countries — and the gap is getting worse over time. (AP image)

America is unhealthy - and getting sicker all the time

January 10, 2013 @ 10:16 am (Updated: 12:47 pm - 1/10/13 )

Americans live sicker and die younger than people in other wealthy countries — and the gap is getting worse over time.

That's the bottom line of a report from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council. Both are independent, non-profit groups that advise the federal government on health issues.

"Baby's born in the United States are less likely to survive to their first birthday. The probability of a child dying before age five is higher in the United States," says Doctor Steven Woolf.

"Teenagers are less likely to live in the United States. Our death rates from homicide are seven times that of other countries," he says.

The USA ranks at or near the bottom in nine key areas of health: low birth weight, injuries and homicides, teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, HIV and AIDS; drug-related deaths, obesity and diabetes; heart disease, chronic lung disease; and general disability.

These poor outcomes are especially depressing, because the USA spends twice as much on healthcare - about $9,000 per person.

"We're spending lavishly on health care. We spend more on health care in the United States than any of these other countries do. So the issue is not lack of spending. It's perhaps how we're spending our money," Woolf says.

Americans' overall low health scores were mostly due to the poor health among minorities and low-income Americans.

Yet even wealthy, white Americans fare worse than their equally wealthy counterparts in other countries, Woolf says.

"The most extreme differences had to do with violence - homicides and shootings - and transportation injuries," says Woolf.

Although fewer Americans smoke and drink heavily, they have many other bad habits.

The report says we consume more calories per person, are more likely to abuse drugs, less likely to wear seat belts, more likely to be in a traffic accident, and are more likely to use a firearm in acts of violence.

By Linda Thomas

More from Linda Thomas

MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments (19)


  • Add A Comment

  • mnpat wrote...
    We also believe in single parents raising children
    January 10, 2013 10:25 am
    Go figure.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    OBAMACARE here to save the day ..
    January 10, 2013 10:57 am
    Not.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    sorry but...
    January 10, 2013 11:32 am
    "Americans' overall low health scores were mostly due to the poor health among minorities and low-income Americans."

    bingo.

    actually i'd like to see a breakdown of all the different groups in America and see what groups (if any), by themselves, come close to the other wealthy countries in health.

    i do agree, it's not how much we spend, (we spend WAY too much on healthcare and have ever since nixon let the big boys come in and start driving up prices) it's how we spend it. there's a TON of money being sucked up by the insurance/drug companies that's driving some, if not most, of our financial problem on this issue.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cdbtx wrote...
    Do a little background check before publishing
    January 10, 2013 11:37 am
    The History or background of Woolf tells it all.

    Also, start with the WHO when looking at numbers, obviously Woolf didn't.. for example the WHO says that you cannot cite infant mortality numbers as a comparison. The US includes things like miscarriages and premature births/deaths in it's count, whereas some countries don't even begin a tally until 1 year of age...

    To have someone cite those numbers immediately raises a red flag about the rest of the numbers.

    Woolf is a man with an agenda.. and it doesn't appear to be one of honesty and integrity..

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • flipper wrote...
    Yep, we're getting sicker...
    January 10, 2013 11:41 am
    Just look in the White House.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • roomtemp wrote...
    Too many people eat garbage with no nutritional value...
    January 10, 2013 12:13 pm
    And way too much of it. (Part of this is the body trying to eat enough to extract some usable nutrition out of the garbage and part of it is just gluttony.) Food out of a box or a fast food wrapper is probably not food at all. Things are full of chemicals, dyes, preservatives, etc, nowadays. People don't cook anymore, they microwave a box. Even most of the vegetables are fertilized with petroleum and sprayed with poison and the meat is stuffed with hormones and antibiotics.

    Our overly expensive heath care system usually opts to pump people full of more dangerous chemicals without looking for nutritional, behavioral, or environmental causes. What do you want to bet the doctor quoted in the article has written tons of prescriptions for drugs that he doesn't have a clue of the long term effects of. I've seen them prescribe drugs to cover up the side effects of other drugs they prescribed, 5 layers deep. Bah! You'd be better off going to a witch doctor at that point.

    Then the article completely loses the plot with seatbelts, traffic accidents (really?), and yet another idiotic media anti gun rant and blatant disinformation. In The UK where you can't carry a gun, you are 4 times more likely to be murdered and 10 times more likely to be assaulted or suffer home invasion. If you look at the statistics per capita, WE'RE NOT EVEN IN THE TOP TEN list of violent countries.

    /rant

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • roomtemp wrote...
    Personal request for TheNewsChick...
    January 10, 2013 12:32 pm
    Could you please talk to your webmaster about the possibility of adding an 'ignore user' button to the blog? Thanks...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • TheNewsChick wrote...
    Roomtemp
    January 10, 2013 6:11 pm
    Good idea, I'll suggest it.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ten4goodbuddy wrote...
    We are an unhappy and unhealthy country
    January 11, 2013 11:18 am
    My wife is currently working on a dual masters, Psychology and Nutrition. I love her approach, because if there is any profession that will be in business in the US for the next century, it lies in both of those areas. It is also completely way too expensive to eat as healthy as we should be eating. We moved to a mainly organic diet a couple of years ago and our food costs, even when controlled, are near double, if not higher.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }