Explaining the Widening Divides in US Midlife Mortality: Is There a Smoking Gun?
2 days ago
- #mortality
- #education
- #smoking
- The education-mortality gradient has increased sharply, with the life-expectancy gap between college and non-college graduates widening from 2.6 years in 1992 to 6.3 years in 2019.
- Mortality inequality across counties rose by 30%, with an increasing rural health penalty during the same period.
- A fundamental shift in geographic patterns of mortality occurred: college graduates saw declines in mortality and geographic inequality, while non-college populations experienced amplified spatial inequality.
- Smoking rates play a key role in explaining these trends, with secondary influences from income, other health behaviors, and state policies.
- The reasons why 'place effects' significantly impact smoking and mortality for non-college populations remain less understood.