Fear of death is a great motivator. Raising a question about deadly illnesses gets people’s attention. What hits people the hardest?
Looking at the facts, there are two extremes. On one end is the fear of the most obvious current ailment: obesity, thought to come from such culprits as sugar and lack of exercise. At this point, even thin people are injecting themselves with weight reducers.
On the other end of the spectrum is the fear of death from some unknown disease for which there is no cure. The United States and Western Europe generally fall into the first category; Sub-Sahara Africa and the subcontinent fall into the second.
Life expectancy
Endless studies report on life expectancy. When people read these statistics, their fear shoots up faster than a cardiac monitor attached to someone who has just climbed to the top of the Empire State Building.
In the United States, official life expectancy now is about 77 years (according to Statista). One hundred years ago it was 58. Why the sharp difference? Contemporary life in the U.S. has a greatly reduced risk of death from war or cancer and antibiotics are in common use.
The logical response would be to be pleased with the extended life expectancy. Yet people still worry. They ask, why don’t we live as long as the Japanese?
In Japan, life expectancy is 84 (Statista). But, one hundred years ago, it was 43. In fact, if you think about these statistics, normal people live pretty long lives unless some horrendous event shortens their lives. War, cancer and living before antibiotics came into common use were major reasons for the shorter life expectancy in both countries a century earlier.
Quality of health care
According to an April report from the Rand Corporation, Americans make between 120 and 140 million hospital emergency visits each year. Demand is huge and crowded emergency rooms deal with a wider range of medical issues than ever before. However, emergency rooms in certain parts of the country are closing because of the expense involved.
Our subject is fear about life expectancy. In 2025, a visitor to an emergency room can expect a triage system that determines whether or not they need immediate care, meaning that their life is in danger. This allows the staff to speed assistance to those at greatest risk.
For example, in April, the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management reported that a dispatcher received a 911 call from a woman whose fiancé collapsed and stopped breathing during exercise. The dispatcher guided the caller through life-saving CPR. One hundred years ago, no dispatcher and no dispatcher medical training.
The cost and availability of health care are greater risk factors than the skill and effectiveness of the medical care given.
A recent report on health care in Germany (The Munich Eye) found that “Many individuals are … unaware of the appropriate emergency contact numbers….This lack of knowledge often leads to unnecessary visits to emergency rooms.”
So, on one end, modern medicine gets more and more effective, but, on the other end, the practical ability to inform people and deliver services bogs down.
Obesity: How big a health problem is it?
According to various sources, in 2025, an estimated 64% of the U.S. population will be either overweight or obese, with severe obesity (class III) projected to rise to 6.1%. Thirty years ago about 50% of adults were obese.
Why are Americans putting on so much weight? Is it because cereal makers add too much sugar and fast-food producers add mysterious chemicals to those fabulous burgers?
Common sense would suggest that fewer people work in a primarily physical manner, meaning a smaller number of people work in a “pick and shovel economy.” A larger number punch a keyboard or work at a desk. In terms of employment, farming and manufacturing have given way to a service economy. So, it makes sense that people weigh more than they used to.
Let’s consider these statistics. One hundred years ago when people did more physical labor, ate less and weighed less, life expectancy was actually much lower.
More from Michael McTague: The financial ramifications of dismantling the Dept. of Education
