Significant disparities in adult health between the US and UK revealed, with national health services the cause
Although the United States and the United Kingdom are both countries with the same official language, English, they are separated by the Atlantic Ocean and have many differences in culture, social systems, etc. A new study examining the health status of adults in their 30s and 40s living in the United Kingdom and the United States found that people living in the United Kingdom have much better health than those living in the United States.
Midlife health in Britain and the United States: a comparison of two nationally representative cohorts | International Journal of Epidemiology | Oxford Academic
US adults in worse health than British pounds at midlife | University of Oxford
https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-10-03-us-adults-worse-health-british-counterparts-midlife
Study Reveals a Striking Health Disparity Between US And UK Adults : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/study-reveals-a-striking-health-disparity-between-us-and-uk-adults
To study health differences between the United States and the United Kingdom, a research team from the University College London and the University of Texas at Austin analyzed data from more than 20,000 British people born in 1970 and Americans born between 1976 and 1983.
The data included medical variables such as smoking habits, weight, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol levels, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and self-rated health, as well as socioeconomic variables such as education level and household income.
The analysis revealed that Americans have poorer cardiovascular health, higher levels of obesity and greater socio-economic health inequalities compared to their British peers.
For example, obesity accounted for 34.5% of British subjects and 40.4% of American subjects, and in analyses restricted to white subjects to control for racial differences, the proportion of subjects with high blood pressure was 19.3% in British subjects and 30.4% in American subjects.
In addition, when it comes to problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity, even the most socio-economically advantaged groups in the US have similar levels to the most socio-economically disadvantaged groups in the UK. Health disparities by socio-economic status are also more pronounced in the UK than in the US.
The study did not look into why Britons are healthier than Americans, but it said it could be because Britain has a publicly funded National Health Service , while America has very high healthcare costs and people have a harder time getting access to health care.
'The US's unique combination of high levels of inequality and a weak welfare state can have adverse effects on all populations across the lifespan. Health care costs are substantial even for those who are more advantaged in the US. Our paper highlights an opportunity to better understand the drivers of health in both populations by comparing similarities and differences in policies and other environmental contexts,' said Dr Andrea Tylstra, co-author of the paper.
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