Smoking, Obesity, and US Longevity

Seventh Annual Matilda White Riley Lecture in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Since 1960, the mortality profiles of industrialized countries have been dominated by the chronic diseases of adulthood. The intensity of these diseases reflects many factors, including scientific understanding of disease etiology, access to and performance of health care systems, levels of education and income, and individual behaviors affecting health. This paper examines mortality levels in the United States and other industrialized countries since 1960 and considers the extent to which smoking and obesity are contributors to trends, international differences, and internal disparities. Following the lead of Matilda White Riley, we adopt a life cycle approach to the analysis and stress the importance of behaviors cumulated over a lifetime. While there is considerable consensus about smoking’s effects on longevity, there is a great deal of uncertainty and contention about the effects of obesity. This paper presents new findings on the impact of obesity over the life course on mortality and concludes that obesity is a greater threat to health than is sometimes asserted and considers how declining smoking and rising obesity are likely to affect future levels of longevity in the United States. Air date: 6/3/2014 1:00:00 PM
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