Residents in the poorest counties in the U.S. face a life expectancy up to decade shorter than their counterparts in the wealthiest areas, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Researchers from East Tennessee State University wanted to better understand how socioeconomic status was associated with health outcomes. To find out they divided the country’s 3,141 counties into 50 new ‘states’ (with 2 percent of the counties in each) based on household income as opposed to geographic proximity (接近).
The researchers broke down the data by county since they found state-level data may hide some ‘impact of socioeconomic differences on both the best-off and worst-off counties.’ They then examined health data from the wealthiest and poorest ‘states’ (top and bottom 2 percent) to see how residents differed on factors like smoking, clinical care and excessive drinking. Researchers found that there was nearly a 10-year gap in the life expectancy of men with an average of 79.3 years in the wealthy counties compared to 69.8 years in the poorest. For women, the difference was slightly less - 83 years in the wealthiest counties and 76 years in the poorest.
The study authors caution that while they found a connection between socioeconomic status and health outcomes, they did not analyze cause and effect. But they suggest that the data shows how policy makers should not just focus on state-wide initiatives (主动性) but more targeted efforts to help those most at risk. “With limited resources, methods of pinpointing the poorest counties can assist in the allocation of resources and programs to those communities that are in the greatest need,’’ the study authors wrote.
【小题1】How did Researchers divide the counties?| A．By social status. | B．By income. |
| C．By health. | D．By living places. |
| A．The women difference is less than the man in life expectancy. |
| B．The wealthiest ‘state’ like hiding their wealth. |
| C．Most health data is unbelievable. |
| D．Most poorest ‘state’ smoke and drink a lot. |
| A．The researchers think their study is perfect. |
| B．People still don’t know the cause of life expectancy. |
| C．The government should learn something from the study. |
| D．The American resources allocation is not fair at all. |
| A．Ways to have a long life expectancy |
| B．Great income differences in the USA |
| C．The health problem in the USA |
| D．Men in richest 10 years longer in poorest |
