Avoidable mortality rates rise in the US and decrease in other high-income countries, Brown's study found

Between 2009 and 2021, avoidable mortality rates increased in all 50 states and Washington, DC, but decreased in peer countries, researchers at Brown and Harvard University found.

studypublished last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, comparing the percentage of avoidable mortality in the United States to 40 other high-income countries.

Avoidable mortality rates include deaths that can be avoided through “high-quality preventive care, public health (policy), or timely, high-quality access to treatment.” According to lead research author Irene Papanicolas, avoidable deaths can be divided into two categories: preventable deaths such as deaths due to car accidents or vaccine adventure diseases, and mortality rates such as appendix treatment.

The study found that the average increase in avoidable deaths in the United States was 32.5 deaths per 100,000, which differed from region to region.

Papanicolas said the findings will help experts begin to understand “which policies benefit health and which policies pose health risks in certain states.” She expects the research will help experts promote these policies across the country. Papanicolas is the director of the Public Health School's Center for Health Systems and a professor of health services, policy and practice.

Researchers compared mortality rates by analyzing data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, dividing the population into five-year-old age groups and assessing national trends. Maecey Niksch of SPH Research Data Analyst, the second author of the study, used RSTUDIO to sort 80 million death data points to determine the number of deaths from avoidable causes.

Of the other 40 countries surveyed, only Canada, the UK, Mexico, Turkey, Bulgaria and Australia saw no avoidable declines in mortality over 12 years.

In the US, avoidable deaths have increased due to car accidents, suicides, murders and overdose. Deaths from treatable cancers and other medical conditions have also increased, but not so much. There has been an increase in avoidable deaths during the Covid-19 pandemic from 2019 to 2021 in both US and comparable countries.

US I'll spend More people are increasing in healthcare than in any other country, and the rate of avoidable mortality continues to increase.

“More healthcare costs don't necessarily bring more value in the healthcare system,” Nieksch said.

The disparity is due to the “weak public health infrastructure” and the impact of socioeconomic determinants and high costs of health care, Papanicolas said.

Despite the quality of medical centers in the country, Papanicolas said that the “wideer welfare state” can “protect people” from factors that contribute to avoidable mortality.

Researchers found wide variations in avoidable mortality rates across states in the United States, for example, but West Virginia showed the highest increase at 99.6 per 100,000 people, while New York was at its lowest at 4.9 per 100,000 people. All states saw an increase in preventable mortality rates, while only Massachusetts, Maryland and Delaware saw a decrease in treatable mortality rates.

To reverse the trend towards increased avoidable mortality, Papanicolas emphasized the importance of investing in health infrastructure and implementing protective measures such as improving traffic safety and nutrition.

Jennifer Sachecke, a professor and chairman of social and behavioral sciences who are not involved in the research, wrote to the Herald that she was not surprised by her findings. She said, “We cannot control for important variables that could explain some of the findings.”

For example, she “will be curious to see what the outcomes will look if it can affect many chronic disease conditions and control obesity rates,” Sacheck said.