Residents in the poorest counties in the U. S. face a life expectancy(预期寿命)up to a decade shorter than their counterparts in the wealthiest areas, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Researchers from East Tennessee State University wanted to better understand how socioeconomic status was associated with health outcomes. To find it out they divided the country's 3,141 counties into 50 new states based on household income.
The researchers broke down the data by county since they found state-level data may hide some impact of socioeconomic differences on both the wealthiest and poorest counties. They then examined health data from the wealthiest and poorest states to see how residents differed on factors like smoking, clinical care and excessive drinking. Researchers found that there was nearly a 10-year gap in the life expectancy of men with an average of 79. 3 years in the wealthy counties compared to 69. 8 years in the poorest. For women,the difference was slightly less - 83 years in the wealthiest counties and 76 years in the poorest.
The researchers caution that while they found a connection between socioeconomic status and health outcomes, they did not analyze cause and effect. But they suggest that the data shows policymakers should not just focus on state-wide initiatives(计划)but more targeted efforts to help those most at risk. “With limited resources, methods of finding the poorest counties can assist in the allocation of resources and programs to those communities that are in the greatest need,”the researchers wrote.
【小题1】How did researchers divide the counties?A.By socioeconomic status. | B.By income. |
C.By health. | D.By living places. |
A.The women difference is less than the man in the life expectancy. |
B.The wealthiest states like hiding their wealth. |
C.Most health data is unbelievable. |
D.The people in most poorest states smoke and drink a lot. |
A.The researchers think their study is perfect. |
B.People still don't know the cause of the life expectancy. |
C.The government should learn something from the study. |
D.The American resources allocation is not fair at all. |