Ph.D. Candidate Jessica Ho Examines Mortality Under 50

Although it is the richest nation in the world and the sole remaining superpower, life expectancy at birth in the United States is among the lowest of all high-income countries. A new study by Jessica Ho, a doctoral candidate in demography and sociology in the School of Arts and Sciences, focuses on the mortality of Americans aged 50 years and younger, and found that these ages contribute to the bulk of American males’ overall life expectancy shortfall and make a substantial contribution to the shortfall for American females.

The study, “Mortality Under Age 50 Accounts For Much Of The Fact That U.S. Life Expectancy Lags That Of Other High-Income Countries,” is in the March issue of Health Affairs. “It turns out that a large part of the story is that we die more at the younger ages—below 50—than people in other high-income countries,” Ho says. “For men, two-thirds of our life expectancy shortfall can be attributed to deaths occurring below age 50. For women, that number is two-fifths.”

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