American adults are in poorer health than their British counterparts in middle age, research has found

American adults have significantly poorer health in middle age compared to their British peers, especially in markers of cardiovascular health, according to a new study involving researchers from the Leverhulme Center for Demographic Science in Oxford. published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

The study compared health measures such as smoking habits, weight, cholesterol levels and blood pressure among American and British adults aged 33 to 46. It found that American adults have poorer cardiovascular health and higher levels of obesity than their British counterparts, along with greater health disparities due to socio-economic factors.

For several outcomes, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity, even the most socioeconomically advantaged groups in the US had similar or worse health than the most disadvantaged groups in Britain. On the other hand, British adults rated their overall health worse on average and were more likely to smoke.

Co-author Professor Jennifer Dowd, Deputy Director of the Leverhulme Center for Demographic Science and Oxford Population Health’s Demographic Science Unit said: “Despite the poorer health of Americans compared to British adults in middle age, the higher rates of smoking and rising obesity in Britain. that there is room for improvement in both countries. Worsening health trends in the US could serve as a warning for Britain and the need to focus on prevention and the broad social determinants of health.

The study, co-authored by researchers from the University College London (UCL) Center for Longitudinal Studies, Syracuse University and University of North Carolina, compared data from the 1970 British Cohort Study in Britain and the Add Health study in the US . The analysis included data from almost 10,000 Britons born in 1970 and 5,000 American adults born between 1976 and 1983. Participants’ blood pressure, cholesterol levels, Body Mass Index (BMI) and glucose were measured, and they also self-reported their smoking habits and -habits. quality of health.

Lead author Dr Charis Bridger Staatz from UCL’s Center for Longitudinal Studies said: “Our new research shows that although British adults are more likely to believe their health is poor, they generally have better cardiovascular health than their peers. middle-aged American counterparts.

“While we have not been able to directly investigate the causes of this, we can speculate that differences in physical activity, diet and poverty, and limited access to free health care, may be behind poorer physical health in the US. Given the political and social similarities between the US and Britain, the US serves as a warning sign of what health conditions in Britain could be without the safety net of the NHS and a strong social security system.”

Co-author Dr. Andrea Tilstra, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow at the Leverhulme Center for Demographic Science and Demographic Science Unit, added: “The unique combination of high inequality and a weak welfare state in the US could prove detrimental to all groups around the world. Even for the more advantaged in the US, the associated healthcare costs are still significant. Our article highlights the opportunity to better understand the factors that influence health in both populations by comparing similarities and differences in policy and other environmental contexts.