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Death rate has increased for white Americans - Why?

Somerville

Somerville

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A recent study, looking at the recent rise in the death rate for white Americans between the ages of 30 and 64, notes that all other high income nations continue to show decreases in death rates.

. . . all 5-y age groups between 30–34 and 60–64 have witnessed marked and similar increases in mortality from the sum of drug and alcohol poisoning, suicide, and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis over the period 1999–2013
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and a possible explanation

Although the epidemic of pain, suicide, and drug overdoses
preceded the financial crisis, ties to economic insecurity are possible.
After the productivity slowdown in the early 1970s, and with
widening income inequality, many of the baby-boom generation are
the first to find, in midlife, that they will not be better off than were
their parents. Growth in real median earnings has been slow for this
group, especially those with only a high school education. However,
the productivity slowdown is common to many rich countries, some
of which have seen even slower growth in median earnings than the
United States, yet none have had the same mortality experience
(lanekenworthy.net/shared-prosperity and ref. 30). The United States
has moved primarily to defined-contribution pension plans with
associated stock market risk, whereas, in Europe, defined-benefit
pensions are still the norm. Future financial insecurity may weigh
more heavily on US workers
Click to expand...
 
Its Obamas fault...
 
There's no mystery. There's no such thing as job security anymore. People are not only losing pensions, they're also losing medical benefits. Couple this with the fact that overall general health has deteriorated due to our largely sedentary lifestyles and the middle-aged are ripe for heart attacks.

Mergers, acquisitions, and leveraged buyouts... bankruptcy in light of free trade as unable to compete in the global marketplace. Etc. etc. The job security that existed when these people entered the marketplace has all but vanished. The boomers also took a big hit in '08. This at a time when medical costs are astronomical. Add alcohol to the mix and it's a recipe for a short life. Unhappiness is an evil thing.
 
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Some Americans are beginning to realize they will not become multimillionaires after all.
 
Because older white males are Generally Conservatives, and the toxins this kind of thinking induce in the brain, and the buildup of bile leads to higher mortality.
 
Threegoofs said:
Because older white males are Generally Conservatives, and the toxins this kind of thinking induce in the brain, and the buildup of bile leads to higher mortality.
Click to expand...

Problem with this statement is the definition of "older". Not just white males but the demographic of all Americans over the age of 65. during the period which the study examined, showed decreasing mortality rates as compared to earlier years. It is the millenials and Gen Xers who are dying at greater rates than earlier periods.
 
betuadollar said:
There's no mystery. There's no such thing as job security anymore. People are not only losing pensions, they're also losing medical benefits. Couple this with the fact that overall general health has deteriorated due to our largely sedentary lifestyles and the middle-aged are ripe for heart attacks.

Mergers, acquisitions, and leveraged buyouts... bankruptcy in light of free trade as unable to compete in the global marketplace. Etc. etc. The job security that existed when these people entered the marketplace has all but vanished. The boomers also took a big hit in '08. This at a time when medical costs are astronomical. Add alcohol to the mix and it's a recipe for a short life. Unhappiness is an evil thing.
Click to expand...

Reads like an argument for expanding Social Security and for a single-payer health care system - You know; like in those other nations where mortality rates are decreasing
 
Somerville said:
Problem with this statement is the definition of "older". Not just white males but the demographic of all Americans over the age of 65. during the period which the study examined, showed decreasing mortality rates as compared to earlier years. It is the millenials and Gen Xers who are dying at greater rates than earlier periods.
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Actually, the problem was that you took the statement seriously.... (Although it does have a hint of truth about it).

But I would think (in a pop psychology way) that one of the issues has been that white males have been historically privileged in society in the past, and now they are brought down to more equal footing. It is hard to lose something you once had, and the non-white males may be in similar situations, but don't pine for 'taking their America back'.
 
Threegoofs said:
Actually, the problem was that you took the statement seriously.... (Although it does have a hint of truth about it).

But I would think (in a pop psychology way) that one of the issues has been that white males have been historically privileged in society in the past, and now they are brought down to more equal footing. It is hard to lose something you once had, and the non-white males may be in similar situations, but don't pine for 'taking their America back'.
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I do agree with your statement, "older white males are Generally Conservatives" and simply wished to clarify in my own head what you were saying.

I also agree with the "white males" sitting on the top rungs of the ladder and that far too many of them have simply assumed that was the 'natural' system. Apparently too many of these white males are unable to deal with the idea that those 'others' may be equally qualified for occupying what used to be the white guys positions.

The question then becomes why is this such a problem for white male Americans and not white males of other nations.
 
Somerville said:
Reads like an argument for expanding Social Security and for a single-payer health care system - You know; like in those other nations where mortality rates are decreasing
Click to expand...

Gitout. It reads like an argument for a million dollar a year salary from the Fed.
 
Somerville said:
A recent study, looking at the recent rise in the death rate for white Americans between the ages of 30 and 64, notes that all other high income nations continue to show decreases in death rates.



and a possible explanation
Click to expand...

...drug and alcohol poisonings, suicide, and chronic liver diseases and cirrhosis.
...
Self-reported declines in health, mental health, and ability to conduct activities of daily living, and increases in chronic pain and inability to work, as well as clinically measured deteriorations in liver function, all point to growing distress in this population. ...
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Is the question even necessary?

Obviously they're going to the doctor less, drinking and doing drugs more, and deciding to commit suicide more.
 
Threegoofs said:
Because older white males are Generally Conservatives, and the toxins this kind of thinking induce in the brain, and the buildup of bile leads to higher mortality.
Click to expand...

Political hackery 101
 
Somerville said:
I do agree with your statement, "older white males are Generally Conservatives" and simply wished to clarify in my own head what you were saying.

I also agree with the "white males" sitting on the top rungs of the ladder and that far too many of them have simply assumed that was the 'natural' system. Apparently too many of these white males are unable to deal with the idea that those 'others' may be equally qualified for occupying what used to be the white guys positions.

The question then becomes why is this such a problem for white male Americans and not white males of other nations.
Click to expand...

Because this isn't really the situations in most developed nations such as Europe.

And it's pretty clear the bad social safety net is an issue.
 
Threegoofs said:
Because this isn't really the situations in most developed nations such as Europe.

And it's pretty clear the bad social safety net is an issue.
Click to expand...

Well Europe is a poor contrast because some regions are densely populated and hold various cultural standards - in contrast to other nations in Europe. So an average for 'Europe' wouldn't present an accurate picture considering the differences.

Like - I think declaring all 'whites in the US' as one demographic is silly. There's a huge difference between the average southern white male and the average west coast white male.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
Well Europe is a poor contrast because some regions are densely populated and hold various cultural standards - in contrast to other nations in Europe. So an average for 'Europe' wouldn't present an accurate picture considering the differences.

Like - I think declaring all 'whites in the US' as one demographic is silly. There's a huge difference between the average southern white male and the average west coast white male.
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Define "huge."

Links?
 
If I had to guess, I'd say our death rates are higher because our access to proper health care is exponentially worse.
 
Aunt Spiker said:
Well Europe is a poor contrast because some regions are densely populated and hold various cultural standards - in contrast to other nations in Europe. So an average for 'Europe' wouldn't present an accurate picture considering the differences.

Like - I think declaring all 'whites in the US' as one demographic is silly. There's a huge difference between the average southern white male and the average west coast white male.
Click to expand...
Um, the study is looking at the change in life expectancy of males in many countries, it isn't looking at causes. It notices that US white males, particularly from '99 to '05 experienced an increase in mortality rates while other countries declined. Previously, that demo was experiencing the same or greater declines in mortality. It isn't "averaging" the EU:

Screen-Shot-2015-11-05-at-7.53.11-PM.png
 
Gimmesometruth said:
Um, the study is looking at the change in life expectancy of males in many countries, it isn't looking at causes. It notices that US white males, particularly from '99 to '05 experienced an increase in mortality rates while other countries declined. Previously, that demo was experiencing the same or greater declines in mortality. It isn't "averaging" the EU:

Screen-Shot-2015-11-05-at-7.53.11-PM.png
Click to expand...

"All-cause mortality" would take into account combat fatalities, yes? We had a good chunk of those in the first half of last decade. Certainly not enough to explain the discrepancy, but enough to contribute to it.
 
Kobie said:
If I had to guess, I'd say our death rates are higher because our access to proper health care is exponentially worse.
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I would say that is part of it, I think the bigger common denom is economics, that white males have been affected by the loss of manufacturing jobs that really hit in 2000, the lack of a rebound through the '00's, declining wage gains.....and the general declines in health and as you mentioned, lack of health access, when one loses full time employment.
 
Death Rates Rising for Middle-Aged White Americans, Study Finds
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/h...le-aged-white-americans-study-finds.html?_r=0

“…………..That finding was reported Monday by two Princeton economists, Angus Deaton, who last month won the 2015 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science, and Anne Case. Analyzing health and mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from other sources, they concluded that rising annual death rates among this group are being driven not by the big killers like heart disease and diabetes but by an epidemic of suicides and afflictions stemming from substance abuse: alcoholic liver disease and overdoses of heroin and prescription opioids.:……..”


Study says.........
 
Kobie said:
"All-cause mortality" would take into account combat fatalities, yes? We had a good chunk of those in the first half of last decade. Certainly not enough to explain the discrepancy, but enough to contribute to it.
Click to expand...

No. The baseline number of excess mortality is somewhere near a half million.

If you'll look at the graph above, you'll note the ages were 45-54, too- probably not much combat fatalities there.
 
Threegoofs said:
No. The baseline number of excess mortality is somewhere near a half million.

If you'll look at the graph above, you'll note the ages were 45-54, too- probably not much combat fatalities there.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, missed that part.
 
Kobie said:
If I had to guess, I'd say our death rates are higher because our access to proper health care is exponentially worse.
Click to expand...

it would be a terrible guess.. because its wrong.

Our death rate is higher due to increasing levels of stress from job insecurity.. longer working hours, longer working, sedentary lifestyles, increases in obesity, etc,
 
jaeger19 said:
it would be a terrible guess.. because its wrong.

Our death rate is higher due to increasing levels of stress from job insecurity.. longer working hours, longer working, sedentary lifestyles, increases in obesity, etc,
Click to expand...

Why then are death rates for middle-aged black and Hispanic Americans continuing to decrease? Some might think that growing equality in our society is negatively affecting those who were once privileged. Now, some feel that equality is oppression.

A lack of proper health care must also be seen as part of the problem.
 
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