Did you make the call yesterday? America, we’re losing lives in a way that shouldn’t be happening. Avoidable mortality continues to increase, running at a clip of about 32.5 deaths per 100K people. By contrast, the rate in European countries is falling and is down to 25.2 deaths/100K. Across the group of democratic nations w/market economies (OECD), the rate is falling and is 22.8/100K.
Here are the 5 most common causes of preventive death in the US: cancer, unintentional injury (opioid OD and car crashes), heart disease, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory disease (e.g. asthma, COPD). Instead of focusing on this, let’s flip it, empower you and address how to prevent the five leading risk causes for premature death:
- Tobacco use: If you’re still smoking, you’d can’t be surprised by the consequences anymore. Please ask for help to stop.
- Regular activity/exercise: This is all above heart health; keeping your weight down and heart strong is the key to your body’s ability to function and heal.
- Healthy diet: Foods plentiful in fruits, vegetables and whole grains both strengthen the heart and reduce the risk of disease. Don’t overthink it or make it much more complicated.
- Regular health checkups, including screenings and learning health self-empowerment
- Disease management: If you have diabetes, hypertension, and/or obese, your goal is to avoid complications. This directly leads to reduced mortality.
Here’s an important point that you don’t get told often enough: There is no clear association between health expenditures and avoidable mortality in the US, meaning your success is more related to your preventive actions than your pricey insurance plan. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.