Study: Dramatic U.S. 20th century health gains

CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) -- Americans live far longer than they did a century ago, are less likely to die from infectious diseases, and women and babies are far less likely to die at childbirth, according to a report published Monday in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

"The health and longevity of U.S. citizens have improved dramatically over the past century," the report said, citing an improved standard of living, immunization programs for children, better medical practices and better drugs.

Perhaps the most startling advance is in life expectancy. A person born at the beginning of the 20th century could expect to live only about 49.2 years while the life expectancy at the end of the century was 76.5 years, a gain of 27.3 years.

The rate of death fell by 74 percent from 1900 to 1998 and the leading causes of death also changed dramatically.

"In the early part of the century, most deaths were from infectious respiratory diseases, such as pneumonia, influenza and tuberculosis," according to the study.

By 1910, heart disease had become the leading cause of death in the U.S. and has remained so for most of the century. Cancer replaced pneumonia and influenza in second place in 1933. However, the age-adjusted death rate from cancer has increased 55 percent from 1900 to 1998.

The infant mortality rate fell 93 percent during the century to just 7.2 deaths per 1,000 live births, although the rate for black infants remains more than twice as high as for whites.

The study said the introduction of routine vaccinations after World War II virtually eliminated deaths in children over the age of one year from diphtheria, pertussis, measles, tetanus and polio.

It also cited a 40 percent decline since 1992 in sudden infant deaths since U.S. health authorities began recommending that infants be placed on their backs to sleep.

A similar sharp fall in deaths of pregnant women was documented during the century. The rate of maternal deaths dropped from 582 per 100,000 births in 1936 to just 7.1 in 1998 in part because of better prenatal care, more births in hospitals, establishment of blood banks and the introduction of antibiotics.

The study said that while the advances in the general health have been impressive, the challenge of the future is how to deal with the aging of the so-called "baby boom" generation of people born just after World War II.

"The challenge for the 21st century is how to balance the needs of children with the growing demands for the large aging population of elderly persons," it said.

The paper was compiled by the Department of Population and Family Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins School in Baltimore, Maryland, and the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Good habits now key to living longer, healthier life
May 29, 2000
Expect to live longer: Report card shows U.S. health still improving
December 7, 1998

American Academy of Pediatrics - Child Health & Safety Information
Johns Hopkins University
National Center for Health Statistics

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.