Har! heh

British Healthier than Americans
By Bjorn Carey
LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 02 May 2006
04:00 pm ET

Middle-aged English people are healthier than Americans of similar age, a new study reveals.

Despite the fact that the United States spends more on medical care per capita than the United Kingdom—$5,274 compared to $2,164—Americans ages 55 to 64 suffer from higher rates of many life-threatening diseases and conditions than their counterparts across the Atlantic.

A new study—limited to non-Hispanic whites—compared both reported and documented health data of nearly 6,500 Americans and more than 9,000 Brits.

What ails us

At 12.5 percent, diabetes prevalence was twice as high in the United States and hypertension was about 10 percentage points higher. Heart disease was also 50 percent higher among Americans, while the rates of stroke, lung disease, and cancer were higher as well.

"You don't expect the health of middle-aged people in these two countries to be too different, but we found that the English are a lot healthier than the Americans," said study co-author James Rand of the RAND Corporation, an independent research organization.

The team of English and American researchers also concluded that Americans get less exercise and are more frequently obese, while excessive drinking is more common in England. Smoking habits are similar in both countries.

Income a key

They also noted that in both countries, the less education and income people had, the worse their health, which may be the key to understanding the observed differences.
"We cannot blame either bad lifestyle or inadequate medical care as the main culprits of these socioeconomic differences in health," said co-author Sir Michael Marmot of University College London. "We should look for explanation to the circumstances in which people live and work."

The study is detailed in the May 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Woohoo :grin:

Well duh!
It's cuz Americans eat better food!

Well that is the answer right there!

For more information you can read my research paper entitled "Landlord Fill the Flowing Bowl". Well maybe not exactly a research paper, it's more like some old song lyrics. But all the secrets of a healthy life are contained within! (notice it's an English tavern too.)




Landlord, Fill The Flowing Bowl

Three Jolly Coachmen sat, all in an English tavern,
Three Jolly Coachmen sat, all in an English tavern,
And they decided that, and they decided that,
And they decided that: they'd have another flagon.

chorus
Landlord, fill the flowing bowl until it doth run over,
Landlord, fill the flowing bowl until it doth run over,
For tonight we'll merry, merry be,
For tonight we'll merry, merry be,
For tonight we'll merry, merry be,
Tomorrow we'll be sober.

Here's to the lad drinks water pure and goes to bed quite sober,
Here's to the lad drinks water pure and goes to bed quite sober,
He falls as the leaves do fall, he falls as the leaves do fall,
He falls as the leaves do fall, so early in October.
chorus

Here's to the lad who drinks dark ale and goes to bed quite mellow,
Here's to the lad who drinks dark ale and goes to bed quite mellow,
He lives as he ought to live, he lives as he ought to live,
He lives as he ought to live, he'll die a happy fellow.
chorus

Here's to the lass who steals a kiss and runs to tell her mother,
Here's to the lass who steals a kiss and runs to tell her mother,
She does a very foolish thing, she does a very foolish thing,
She does a very foolish thing, for she'll not get another.
chorus

Here's to the lass who steals a kiss and lingers for another,
Yes, here's to the lass who steals a kiss and lingers for another,
She's a boon to all mankind, She's a boon to all mankind,
She's a boon to all mankind, For soon she'll be a mother.
chorus

A new study—limited to non-Hispanic whites—compared both reported and documented health data of nearly 6,500 Americans and more than 9,000 Brits.


"6,500 Americans and more than 9,000 Brits"
I wonder what the outcome would have been one to one ....

Guess Pop and I fit into the .% of being over 50 and pretty darn healty.

I'm more intersted in knowing where in Amercia they got their focus groups. Its a pretty big place with huge differences in lifestyles and cultures depending on what State and or major City they might have pulled most of their stats from.

Friedpigsfeet, Kentucky of course!