Is it comparing the total Candian population to the total US population, without taking into consideration ethnic distinctions in the data?
IOW, is it comparing apples to oranges?
They have fewer Amish...
The survey itself did not say why Canadians are healthier
So, right there, they don't even get into exactly why Canadians are outliving Americans. They may have a different diet, deal with stress differently or not have as much stress ... I really don't know and this article doesn't even shed light on that. But it does seem to want to draw the conclusion that because Canadians have "universal-health coverage", that's the reason for their longevity.
Something else I spotted too:
The study did not include people who are institutionalized, and the researchers consider their findings an underestimate given the poorer telephone response rate in the U.S. survey, 50.2 per cent, versus 65.5 per cent in Canada. People in poorer health may have been less likely to respond.
So this was a telephone survey?!
Yes, it is comparing apples and oranges. The diversity of the US population dwarfs that of Canada.
The black population has a much higher death rate from violence than the white population; also high BP. I’m not sure about the Latino statistics, though. But, we certainly have a lot more of them than Canada does. Canada has mostly European and Asian, with only a smattering of other groups.
Even if they do live longer, they’re still canadian.
Kind of like winning an American Idol trivia contest. You may win, but you’re still a moron.
JAMA or NEJM, I forget which, did a study on male life expectancy along the DC metro a few years back. Average age of death of those who lived near the start was 58 or so. At the end of the line, out in the burbs, the average age was the national average.