Print“The analysis, which focused on a number of chronic conditions and disease markers, found that most health differences between American and British people were just as pronounced in young people as in adults.”
Despite spending more than $8,000 per person on healthcare in the United States, Americans experience higher rates of chronic disease than their English counterparts, according to a new analysis of two national health surveys.
The analysis, which focused on a number of chronic conditions and disease markers, found that most health differences between American and British people were just as pronounced in young people as in adults. That was the case for all ages with obesity, low HDL cholesterol, high cholesterol ratio, high C-reactive protein, diabetes, and asthma. Among younger men, heart attack or angina appears to be more common among in the United States than in England. Hypertension is higher in England than in the United States at younger ages.
The study suggests that several factors may underlie the differences. Higher rates of screening for some conditions, the greater use of certain healthcare procedures, and higher survival rates for cerebrovascular disease in the United States may account for some of the differences. The more frequent use of healthcare technology in the United States, the lower use of preventive care services in the United States, and other cross-country differences in lifestyle and physical environmental conditions may also play a role.
The research was based on a comprehensive survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics in the United States and a survey of private households in England conducted by the Joint Health Surveys Unit of the National Centre for Social Research. It was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
March 11, 2011
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