Study says death gap increasing in US

“This study finds the socioeconomic inequalities in mortality rates are not only failing to drop, they are actually increasing in the U.S.,” said Otis W. Brawley, M.D., American Cancer Society chief executive officer. “People with less education have fewer financial resources, less access to health insurance or stable employment, and less health literacy. As a result, while the death rate among the most educated Americans is dropping dramatically, we’re seeing a real lack of progress or even worsening trends in the least educated persons. The gap between the best and worst off in the country is actually getting wider.”

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American Cancer Society
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Citation: Jemal A, Ward E, Anderson RN, Murray T, Thun MJ (2008) Widening of Socioeconomic Inequalities in U.S. Death Rates, 1993–2001. PLoS ONE 3(5): e2181. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002181

PLEASE ADD THE LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT (URL live from May 14): http://www.plosone.org/doi/pone.0002181

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