By Robert Preidt
HealthDay reporter
FRIDAY, Jan 15, 2021 (HealthDay News) – The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced life expectancy in the United States, especially among blacks and Hispanics, a new study says.
With more than 336,000 COVID-19 deaths nationwide last year, researchers decided to look into the impact of the pandemic on life expectancy.
The projection: Due to pandemic deaths, American life expectancy at birth will decrease by 1.13 years to 77.48 years.
This is the largest one-year decrease in at least 40 years, which results in the lowest estimated life expectancy since 2003, according to the authors.
Their results showed significant racial differences, underscoring the heavy toll the pandemic has put on racial and ethnic minority groups.
The study predicts the life expectancy of white Americans will decrease by 0.68 years to 77.84 years, compared with a decrease in blacks by 2.1 years to 72.78 years and a decrease in Hispanics by 3.05 years to 78.77 Years.
“The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the life expectancy of Black and Latino Americans is likely related to their increased exposure from their workplaces or contacts with extended families, in addition to poorer health care, which leads to more infections and worse outcomes . ” The study author, Theresa Andrasfay, said in a press release from the University of Southern California. She is a postdoctoral fellow in gerontology at the university.
The researchers estimate that the gap between black and white Americans will widen from 3.6 years to more than 5 years.
This is further evidence that minorities are particularly hard hit by the pandemic, according to findings published January 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“The greater reductions in life expectancy for black and Latin American populations are due in part to disproportionate numbers of deaths in younger years for these groups,” said study co-author Noreen Goldman, professor of demography and public affairs at Princeton University.
“These results underscore the need for protective behaviors and programs to reduce potential virus exposure in younger individuals who may not perceive themselves to be at risk,” Goldman added in the press release.
continuation
Life expectancy is an important indicator of a population’s health and, according to the researchers, helps assess the impact of COVID-19 on survival. The 1918 influenza pandemic reduced life expectancy by 7 to 12 years.
“While the arrival of effective vaccines is hopeful, the US is currently suffering more daily COVID-19 deaths than at any other time in the pandemic,” Andrasfay said. “For this reason, and because we anticipate there will be long-term health and economic effects that could lead to worse mortality rates over many years, we expect life expectancy to have a lasting impact in 2021.”
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about COVID-19.
SOURCE: University of Southern California, press release, Jan. 14, 2021
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