McKinsey&Company
Old age could be healthier and happier
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How low can it go? Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, life expectancy in the United States dropped by almost two years in 2020—which is more than in 19 other wealthy nations, according to new analysis by three public-health experts. Researchers are now surprised and disturbed to discover that life expectancy in the US continued declining in 2021, even as it improved for all but three of the peer countries analyzed. The drop in 2021 was largely due to continued declines in the life spans of White Americans. [WaPo] |
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Labor leak. Around the world, about 100 million people suffer from long COVID-19—defined as symptoms lasting for at least 12 weeks. Many are unable to go back to their jobs, leading to the suspicion that long COVID could be contributing to the difficulty many employers have in finding workers. One study in January surmised that 15% of the vacant jobs in America could likely be due to long COVID. Businesses should consider developing new policies to help long-COVID sufferers. [FT] |
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Longer but not (yet) better. Between 1800 and 2017, average global life expectancy more than doubled to 73 years. Since 1900 in the United States, infant mortality has fallen by 90% and maternal mortality has decreased by 99%. But we still spend the same share of our lives suffering from poor health. On average, people spend about half of their lives in less-than-good health, including 12% in poor health. The best available data suggest that this ratio has not changed much in the past 50 years. |
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Quality time. The McKinsey Health Institute believes that over the next decade, humanity could add roughly six years of high-quality life per person on average, and substantially more in some countries and populations. To make it happen, we propose embracing a broader definition of health that recognizes the importance of how people integrate meaning in their lives, including how connected they feel to others. Learn the six shifts needed to achieve full potential for human health. |
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| — Edited by Katy McLaughlin |
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