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Projecting Future Mortality Using Information on Health Behaviors. David M. Cutler, Edward L. Glaeser, and Allison B. Rosen. Questions. Is the US population healthier than in the past? Yes: Smoking has declined greatly No: We are more obese Yes: We treat disease better
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Projecting Future Mortality Using Information on Health Behaviors David M. Cutler, Edward L. Glaeser, and Allison B. Rosen
Questions • Is the US population healthier than in the past? • Yes: Smoking has declined greatly • No: We are more obese • Yes: We treat disease better • Will these trends continue?
Restrictions • We focus on health behaviors. • Smoking • Drinking • Weight • Taking medications
Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2004 • Tobacco 18% • Obesity 15% • Alcohol 4% • Microbial agents 3% • Toxic agents 2% • MVAs 2% • Guns 1% • Sexual behaviors 1% • Illicit use of drugs 1% Source: Mokdad et al., 2004.
Methodology • Relate risk factors to subsequent mortality • NHANES I data (1971-75) linked to subsequent mortality • Evaluate change in risk factors, 1971-75 vs. 1999-2002 • Consider forecasts about risk factors in the future.
Data • NHANES I (1971-75) and NHANES 1999-2002 • Population 25-74 and 55-74 • Demographics • Self reported smoking, alcohol • Physical measures of BP, cholesterol, BMI
Rough relationships Demographics Risk: BP, Cholesterol Mortality weight Behaviors smoking
Mortality Equation: 10 year mortality as a function of… • Age/sex (10 year age x sex) • Race (white/black/other) • Education (<HS, HS, Some College, College+) • Smoker (current/former/never) • BMI (low, normal, overweight, obese) • Alcohol (heavy, light, never) • Blood pressure (normal, pre-HTN, Stage 1, Stage 2) • Cholesterol (low, borderline, high)
Summary Statistics:Education NHANES I NHANES 1999-2002
Summary Statistics:Smoking NHANES I NHANES 1999-2002
Summary Statistics:Drinking NHANES I NHANES 1999-2002
Summary Statistics:BMI NHANES I NHANES 1999-2002
Summary Statistics:Hypertension NHANES I NHANES 1999-2002
Summary Statistics:High Cholesterol NHANES I NHANES 1999-2002
Forecasts • Simulate 20 years from now • Not totally clear what explains these behaviors. • Smoking: Taxes (a bit); Beliefs; Peer effects • Obesity: Lower (time) price of food • Assume these are still playing out
Forecasts • Smoking • Know ever smoking for many cohorts (guess for others) • Assume trend reduction in current smoking continues • Smoking rate falls from 25% to 15%
Forecast Assumptions • Drinking • Continued reduction in heavy and light drinking • BMI • Same change in BMI over past 20 years as previous 20 years • Increase of about 10 lbs.
Implications of higher BMI: BP and Cholesterol • Use 1959-62 NHANES to relate BP and cholesterol to obesity • Essentially no treatment • Predict BP and cholesterol 20 years hence • Includes random error term • Assume same share of people treated and same impact of treatment • Draw BP and cholesterol from distribution among treated.
Impact of 10% reduction in mortality on expected age at death for people alive at age 0.5 years 0.9 years 1.2 years 1.1 years
Results • Impact of continued increase in obesity could be enormous. • Key is risk factor control • Get more people treated • Improve effectiveness of therapy – better drugs, and taken more regularly
Qualifications • Impact on mortality is not necessarily the same as impact on disability • Important for DI and Medicare/Medicaid forecasts