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Substance use and population life expectancy in the USA: Interactions with health inequalities and implications for policy
Author(s) -
Imtiaz Sameer,
Probst Charlotte,
Rehm Jürgen
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
drug and alcohol review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.018
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1465-3362
pISSN - 0959-5236
DOI - 10.1111/dar.12616
Subject(s) - life expectancy , medicine , demography , mortality rate , prescription drug , population , medical prescription , environmental health , gerontology , sociology , pharmacology , surgery
Life expectancy at birth for the USA has not increased in recent years. This commentary assesses the impact of substance use on this phenomenon. Although crude mortality rates of the most important causes of death (such as cardiovascular diseases or cancer) have declined between 2010 and 2014, crude mortality rates of drug‐ and alcohol‐induced causes of death have increased. Alcohol use, non‐medical prescription drug use (especially prescription opioid use) and illicit drug use have likely played a crucial role in life expectancy trends of the past years. Importantly, the current mortality crisis due to substances is disproportionately borne in lower socio‐economic strata. As such, policies should reduce this impact.