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Cited by 144Insurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk ManagementHealth disparities and outcomesHealthcare Systems and Public Health

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 142 of the 147 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Declining Life Expectancy in the United States: Missing the Trees for the Forest

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Harper, Sam, Riddell, Corinne A., King, Nicholas B.·2021·Annual Review of Public Health
DOI 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-082619-104231

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Abstract

In recent years, life expectancy in the United States has stagnated, followed by three consecutive years of decline. The decline is small in absolute terms but is unprecedented and has generated considerable research interest and theorizing about potential causes. Recent trends show that the decline has affected nearly all race/ethnic and gender groups, and the proximate causes of the decline are increases in opioid overdose deaths, suicide, homicide, and Alzheimer's disease. A slowdown in the long-term decline in mortality from cardiovascular diseases has also prevented life expectancy from improving further. Although a popular explanation for the decline is the cumulative decline in living standards across generations, recent trends suggest that distinct mechanisms for specific causes of death are more plausible explanations. Interventions to stem the increase in overdose deaths, reduce access to mechanisms that contribute to violent deaths, and decrease cardiovascular risk over the life course are urgently needed to improve mortality in the United States.

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Citations

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Research works printed but not linked: 18

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Metadata

Authors
Harper, S., Riddell, C. A., & King, N. B.
Affiliations
  • Erasmus MC (NL)
  • University of California, Berkeley (US)
  • McGill University (CA)
ORCID
Venue
Annual Review of Public Health
Publisher
Annual Reviews
Published
2021-04-01
Volume
42
Issue
1
Pages
381-403
ISSN
  • 0163-7525 (ISSN-L)
  • 1545-2093
DOI
10.1146/annurev-publhealth-082619-104231
OpenAlex
W3113152292
Cited by
144
References
147
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 33 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 14
FWCI
4.18
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Annual Review of Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Insurance, Mortality, Demography, Risk Management
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Healthcare Systems and Public Health
Keywords
mortality trends, opioid overdose deaths, suicide, homicide, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular mortality, racial and ethnic disparities, gender disparities, causes of death
MeSH terms
Humans, Life Expectancy, United States

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