Provisional Life Expectancy Estimates For 2020
A report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in July 2021 presents updated estimates of life expectancy based on provisional mortality data for the full year, January through December, 2020. Life expectancy at birth represents the average number of years a group of infants would live if they were to experience throughout life the age specific death rates prevailing during a specified period. In 2020, life expectancy at birth for the total U.S. population was 77.3 years, declining by 1.5 years from 78.8 in 2019. Life expectancy at birth for males was 74.5 years in 2020, representing a decline of 1.8 years from 76.3 years in 2019. For females, life expectancy declined to 80.2 years, decreasing 1.2 years from 81.4 years in 2019. The difference in life expectancy between the sexes was 5.7 years in 2020, increasing from 5.1 in 2019. Between 2000 and 2010, the difference in life expectancy between the sexes narrowed from 5.2 years to a low of 4.8 years and then gradually increased to 5.1 in 2019.
COVID-19’s Impact On Black Versus White Households
According to the results of a Pulse Household Survey released on July 21, 2021 by the U.S. Census Bureau, the coronavirus pandemic has produced higher rates of economic and mental health hardship for non- Hispanic Black adults (referred to as Black) than for non-Hispanic White adults (referred to as White) across several measures. Interpreting the results requires disentangling racial identity from other underlying conditions, such as poverty, lack of health insurance, and the greater likelihood in jobs where there is a higher risk of both infection and unemployment during the pandemic. The data suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected Black households more adversely because the cumulative effects of job loss, food insufficiency, and financial insecurity resulted in uncertainty about how to pay for housing as well as more generalized anxiety. The fact that Black adults have been more likely than White adults to borrow money to make ends meet suggests that the pandemic’s impact may be prolonged as debts mount.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY CORNER
Core Outcomes For Patients Living With Long COVID
A significant portion of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 subsequently experience lasting symptoms that include fatigue, breathlessness, and neurological complications months after the acute infection. Evidence for this condition is limited, however, and is based on small patient cohorts with short-term follow-up. An urgent need exists for the development of a core outcome set (COS) to optimize and standardize clinical data collection and reporting across studies and clinical practice. An international group of experts has developed a program of research with patient partners and the WHO called ISARIC (International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium) to develop a Post COVID-19 Condition COS. Post- COVID-19 Condition Core Outcomes will begin by surveying individuals living with the Post-COVID-19 condition, assess what outcomes matter, and build a plan in two phases. Phase One in 2021 will focus on what outcomes should be measured while Phase Two in 2022 will focus on how to measure these outcomes.
Longitudinal Association Of Total Tau Concentrations And Physical Activity With Cognitive Decline
Tau is a brain protein located in neurons and develops abnormally in individuals with Alzheimer disease. A study described on August 11 in JAMA Network Open describes an evaluation of the association of physical activity and total tau concentrations with cognitive decline at baseline and over time. Participants in the investigation are involved with the Chicago Health and Aging Project, a population-based cohort study conducted in four of that city’s communities. Study findings suggest that, among participants with both high and low total tau concentrations, physical activity was associated with slower cognitive decline. Results support the potential utility of blood biomarkers in measuring the benefits associated with health behaviors and may contribute to specifying target populations or informing interventions for trials that focus on improving physical activity behavior. A recommendation is that future work should examine the association of total tau concentrations with other health behaviors and physical activity types.