Nov 27, 2019

Young people in U.S. dying at high rates

Marisa Fernandez

Life expectancy for Americans ages 25 to 64 has not kept pace with other wealthy countries, decreasing for the third year in a row, a comprehensive study published Tuesday in JAMA shows.

Why it matters: Death rates among young and middle-age adults stemmed mostly from suicide, drug overdose, obesity and liver disease.

By the numbers: Researchers looked at mortality data from the past 60 years. Death rates of people ages 25 to 34 jumped 29% from 2010 to 2017.

  • Middle-aged women's risk of death from a drug overdose rose by 486% between 1999 and 2017; men saw a 351% increase.
  • Women also experienced a bigger relative increase in risk of suicide and alcohol-related liver disease.

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Jacob Knutson

CDC: The jobs with the highest rates of suicide in the U.S.

Data: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2018 analyzed suicide deaths among working-age Americans in 17 states to understand how different types of work influence a person's risk of killing oneself.

Why it matters: The CDC found that the suicide rate for people ages 16–64 years old rose 34% between 2000 and 2016, from 12.9 to 17.3 suicides per 100,000 workers. The federal agency also reported that suicide rates varied widely across occupational groups and that people involved in certain types of work, such as construction and extraction or production jobs, may be at a higher risk of suicide than other workers.

Go deeperArrowNov 17, 2019
Marisa Fernandez

Construction industry grapples with high suicide risk

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

A construction company in Salt Lake City has become a model for helping workers who are struggling with suicidal ideation or self-harm, NPR reports.

Why it matters: The construction industry has the highest suicide rates of any occupation, and its demographics mirror those who are the most susceptible to die by suicide — young and middle-aged men, and also veterans.

Go deeperArrowDec 13, 2019
Marisa Fernandez

The urban-rural health divide is costing lives

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The health disparities between urban and rural areas aren't getting any better, new studies published in Health Affairs confirm.

The big picture: Rural areas fell short of every benchmark for improvement in seven major causes of death, according to one study — and others suggest that the situation may never get better for the 62 million Americans who live in rural parts of the country.

Go deeperArrowDec 4, 2019