It may not be a “Blue Zone”, but Australia is doing very well when it comes to health. People living in the land below can expect to live on average up to four years longer than their peers in five other rich English-speaking countries, according to a new study published in the journal BMJ open. Compared to the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand, life expectancy in the United States lags furthest behind Australia.
The study wasn’t designed to determine exactly why Australians live so much longer than people in similar countries, but it does contain some insight into what we could be doing better for our health and longevity here in the US. conclusions from the most recent research.
1. Australia has universal healthcare
The country’s public health program covers many doctor and hospital visits at little or no cost to Australians and some visitors. The study authors note that the Commonwealth Fund — a private U.S. group that studies health systems with the goal of improving access and outcomes — evaluates Australia’s healthcare system better than all the countries they studied except Ireland. “Australia has an advantage in terms of mortality due to circulatory and respiratory diseases, cancer, and perinatal and congenital conditions, which are linked to superior health system performance,” the researchers wrote.
This is because universal healthcare makes it more accessible and easier for everyone to get early screening for these common diseases. The sooner these conditions – which have contributed significantly to the highest rate of midlife deaths among Americans – are treated, the less likely someone is to die young. Consultations covered by universal health care in Australia “include prevention, which is fundamental when we think about life expectancy”, Bernadette Boden-Albaladirector and founding dean of UC Irvine’s Joe C. Wen School of Population and Public Health, told Yahoo Life. “We are proud to spend a huge amount of money on healthcare and the healthcare system [in the U.S.]but we have a very fragmented healthcare system”, he adds. “Some people in this country will receive the best health care available in the world, and other people will have no health care at all – that heavily influences what we are seeing here.”
2. Don’t smoke
Global smoking rates have declined in recent years, including in Australia and the US. But cigarettes remain one of the leading preventable causes of death. In fact, recent studies have projected that the cancer death rate among men will increase 93% by 2050, with lung cancer remaining the leading cause of death, in part due to the fact that men smoke more than women.
But overall, Americans smoke more than Australians. On 12% of people in the US smokecompared to little else 8% of people in Australia. “We know that smoking is a very bad risk factor for cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, not just for the smoker, but secondhand smoke causes havoc for people who live with smokers,” he says. Boden-Albala. “It’s an easy solution, but Australia doesn’t have the smoking epidemic that the US does, and that’s probably contributing [to the gap in life expectancy],” she adds.
3. Cars, drugs, alcohol and guns are killing Americans prematurely
According to the study author and associate professor of sociology and demography at Pennsylvania State University, Jessica Ho“Life expectancy is much lower in the US than in other English-speaking countries such as Australia, mainly because Americans die at higher rates in their youth and middle ages.” Ho told Yahoo Life that people are dying prematurely, largely from preventable causes, including drugs, alcohol, car accidents and gun homicides, suicides and accidents. In fact, “unintentional injuries,” which include all of these causes of death except suicide, are the third leading cause of death in the U.S., according to recent CDC data. In Australia, “accidental falls” and “other ill-defined causes” are the 10th and 9th leading causes of death, respectively.
This is largely due to the strict laws Australia has implemented to crack down on the sale of firearms, low-quality food, tobacco and illicit (and prescription) drugs, while also implementing “aggressive” policies to promote better health. and improve automobile safety. Dr. Steven Woolfprofessor emeritus at the Center for Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University, told Yahoo Life.
4. Moving more and eating better can go a long way toward extending life in the US
Furthermore, cardiovascular disease – 80% of which is probably preventable – is still the number one killer of both Americans and Australians. But it kills more younger Americans, which further reduces life expectancy. Australia, on the other hand, “has done an excellent job in reducing premature mortality at young ages and achieving low mortality from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and cancer in middle and old age,” says Ho.
In addition to more limited access to health screenings to diagnose and treat these diseases early, Ho notes that the U.S. has high rates of sedentary lifestyles and obesity — both of which increase the risks of dying young from heart disease (and other causes).
5. A possible silver lining? The American lifestyle is more similar to that of Australians.
Deaths are a lagging indicator of how healthy a country is. For example, the US National Institutes of Health estimates that it took more than 50 years for declines in smoking rates to translate into declines in the national rate of cigarette-related deaths. So the current disparity between the life expectancy of Australians and Americans likely reflects habits and policies that have defined our respective paths for decades.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average Australian is a non-smoker who has never smoked, gets 42 minutes of exercise every day, is overweight or obese and doesn’t eat enough vegetables. That’s not much different than Americans, even though we spend less time exercising (a recent national report poll suggests we do about 20 minutes) and we have higher obesity rates (more than 40%compared to 32% from Australia). And there are some signs that we’re heading in the right direction: roughly an equal share of Americans and Australians are meeting the recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise.
Ultimately, national life expectancy is beyond the control of individuals, experts say. “It appears from this article that stricter gun, alcohol and drug policies are leading to better and longer life expectancy” in Australia, says Boden-Albala. “We should be demanding policies that, as an entire community, make us healthier.”
But, she adds, “as we make these demands, we need to make sure we are taking maximum control over ourselves and our families.” That means staying hydrated, exercising, making healthy food choices, trying to quit smoking, walking more, drinking less alcohol and sleeping well, advises Boden-Albala. And if you don’t have good access to a primary care provider, the pro tip is to take advantage of community health fairs or pharmacies where you can check your blood sugar.
“Get checked out and get a good night’s sleep,” she says. “This is how we begin to regain our health.”
