BACKGROUND: The first measurable increase in overall life expectancy among Americans was reported for 2015. This study looks at a slightly different measure of mortality years of potential life lost (YPLL) as a way of examining whether a similar increase was found for more preventable deaths among younger Americans. It also examines the causes of death most associated with any increases and whether those increases are equal among urban and rural counties.
METHODS: The age-adjusted rates of years of potential life lost before age seventy five was calculated for 2006-2015 for the US. Cause-specific rates and urban rural differences in YPLL rates were also calculated.
RESULTS: In the United States, premature death rates increased 2.1% between 2014 and 2015 from 6,626 to 6,765 years of potential life lost per 100,000 population. Relative to other counties types, Rural counties continue to have the highest premature death rates. In 2015, more than 895,000 years of potential life were lost in rural counties – more years of life lost than in metro counties with larger populations. Small metro, large suburban, and large urban counties had the greatest rate change in YPLL from 2014-2015 relative to rural counties, meaning the uptick in years of life lost occurred at a more rapid pace in these metro counties. Injuries account for 75% of the increase in YPLL between 2014 and 2015. The injuries that accounted for most of this increase are motor vehicle accidents, drug overdose deaths, and firearm-related fatalities.
CONCLUSIONS: Recent increases in injury deaths are the leading cause of an overall increase in premature death in recent years. Programs and policies that can decrease the rates of drug poisonings, motor vehicle accidents and firearm related injuries are increasingly important to implement across the United States.