6 health issues have caused a record decline in your life expectancy

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) -Because of six health issues the average life expectancy of a person in the U.S. has dropped by 2.8 years since 2019, making it the largest decline in more than a century.

According to the latest CDC report on how long the average American will live, we have dropped from an all-time high of 78.9 years in 2014, held steady from 2015 to 2019, to then a major decline of 76.1 years-old by 2021.

The cause for the decline according to the Bloomberg American Health Initiative at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is six fold starting with COVID followed by overdose, gun-related homicide and suicide, teen suicide, motor vehicle fatalities, and heart disease/stroke/diabetes.

On Tuesday Johns Hopkins release 10 ways it see the country and reverse this trend;

Saving Lives From COVID-19

Idea 1: Congress should pass the administration’s full request for additional funding for public health outreach, COVID-19 vaccination, treatments, and research. — Joshua M. Sharfstein MD

Saving Lives From Overdose

Idea 2: The federal government, states, and localities should make the use of medications that treat opioid use disorder the standard of care. — Brendan Saloner, PhD Idea 3: Health agencies should expand harm reduction services. — Javier Cepeda, PhD, and Sean Travis Allen, DrPH

Saving Lives From Gun Violence

Idea 4: States should adopt popular policies that reduce gun-related homicide and suicide, including extreme risk protection orders and permits for gun purchase. — Shannon Frattaroli, PhD; Joshua Horwitz, JD; Cassandra Crifasi, PhD; and Daniel Webster, ScD

Idea 5: Cities should strengthen and expand community violence intervention programs. — Daniel Webster, ScD, and Cassandra Crifasi, PhD

Saving Lives From Teen Suicide

Idea 6: Schools should invest in easily accessible, confidential, and comprehensive adolescent health care in schools. — Maria Trent, MD, MPH

Saving Lives From Motor Vehicle Crashes

Idea 7: Regulators and automakers should embrace the implementation of driver impairment detection technology. — Johnathon Ehsani, PhD

Saving Lives From Heart Disease, Stroke, and Diabetes

Idea 8: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should release long-term, mandatory industry targets for sodium reduction in the U.S. processed food supply. — Sonia Angell, MD, MPH Idea 9: Local governments should invest in the development of local and regional food infrastructures. — Yeeli Mui, PhD, MPH

Saving Lives From Heat and Other Weather-Related Emergencies

Idea 10: Communities should implement heat action plans. — Jaime Madrigano, ScD

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