Growing 'mortality gap' detected between Democratic and Republican counties

[ZiprHead]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220609173704.htm

Date:June 9, 2022Source:Brigham and Women's HospitalSummary:Researchers examined mortality rates and federal and state election data for all counties in the U.S. from 2001 to 2019. The team found what they call a 'mortality gap' -- a widening difference between age-adjusted death rates in counties that had voted for a Democrat or a Republican in previous presidential and governor elections.

A new study highlights how closely connected politics and health outcomes have grown over time. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital examined mortality rates and federal and state election data for all counties in the U.S. from 2001 to 2019. The team found what they call a "mortality gap" -- a widening difference between age-adjusted death rates in counties that had voted for a Democrat or a Republican in previous presidential and governor elections. The team found that mortality rates decreased by 22 percent in Democratic counties but by only 11 percent in Republican counties. The mortality gap rose across top disease areas, including heart disease and cancer, and the mortality gap between white residents in Democratic versus Republican counties increased nearly fourfold during the study period. Results are published in the British Medical Journal.

Original British Medical Journal Article

 

[Bullmoose Too]

I don’t know why but I’m not surprised. It’s weird.

 

[Patooka]

This article is complete bullshit. The data only goes to 2019. Name one time in recent history where Republicans have ignored sane medical advice.

You can't can you?

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

This article is complete bullshit. The data only goes to 2019. Name one time in recent history where Republicans have ignored sane medical advice.

You can't can you?

Texas. Where Gov. Greg Abbot killed setting up state Medicare and Medicaid exchanges. As a result, Texas has a high rate of uninsured citizens. Also Abbot lead the effort to defund Planned Parenthood, where many poor women reciewed healthcare. Advised Texas citizens would suffer from all of this by medical experts, Abbott and the Texas GOP legislature did not care. To them, right wing politics mattered more. Recently with the Uvalde school shootings, we have had the usual GOP pro-gun politicians having to bend a bit and blabbering America needs more mental health care. Abbott and his GOP legislature had just slashed the budget to support mental health care in Texas. Texas is a poster child for ignoring sane medical advice and following bad policies.

 

[Swammerdami]

Interesting. Note that the result is much more pronounced than it might seem at first glance: Red counties have lots of blue voters and vice versa, but the researchers didn't have a R/D marker for the mortalities(!) so had to lump all adults together. Age correlates with both mortality and red voting, but the researchers used "age-adjusted mortality."

They were able to differentiate deaths by race. The effect they discovered did not apply to blacks or browns, only to whites.

I am not surprised by the correlation. Ignorance correlates with bad diet and other poor life-style choices. And anger, hatred and mental illness all reduce life expectancy.