Bottom Line: The impact of diseases varies widely across states, with tobacco, overweight, poor diet, alcohol and drug use, high blood sugar and high blood pressure accounting for many years lost to ill health, disability or early death.
Why The Research Is Interesting: A comprehensive assessment of health patterns in the United States and by state can help to inform national priorities for research, clinical care and policy.
What and When: Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2016 study results were used to estimate change in disease, injuries and risk factors from 1990 to 2016 by state. The GBD is done on an annual cycle and the 2016 results updated estimates of death, disease and risk factors in 195 locations around the globe, including the United States.
Study Measures: Death rates, life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, years of life lost due to premature death, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs; the number of years lost due to ill health, disability or early death) for 333 causes and 84 risk factors.
How (Study Design): This was a data analysis.
Authors: Christopher J. L. Murray, M.D., D.Phil., Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, and the U.S. Burden of Disease Collaborators
Study Limitations: The accuracy of the estimates depends on the availability of data by time period and state.
Related material: The editorial, "Toward a United States of Health: Implications of Understanding the U.S. Burden of Disease," by Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H., Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, and Anand K. Parekh, M.D., M.P.H., Bipartisan Policy Center, Washington, D.C., is also available on the For The Media website.
For more details and to read the full study, please visit the For The Media website.
(doi:10.1001/jama.2018.0158)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
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JAMA