The report released in January showed the premature death rate rose by a record 9% nationwide between 2020-2021. Premature deaths are defined as lives lost before the age of 75 per 100,000 population.
North Carolina’s rating was even higher than the national average with an 11% increase.
Cancer and heart disease were the two leading causes of premature deaths.
UNC Health cardiologist Dr. Christopher Kelly said the data was “concerning and discouraging” but noted he wasn’t surprised by the latest numbers.
“There is interesting, sort of parallel tracks happening right now,” he explained. “On the one hand your odds of surviving a heart attack are higher than ever because we have these amazing procedures we can do and these novel medications to protect your heart after an event like that. The problem is people are going a long time without establishing healthy habits.”
Kelly said people are also waiting longer between doctor visits. This combined with more sedentary lifestyles is increasing risk factors of chronic illnesses. The risk factors include diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol and smoking.
“Unfortunately people are developing things like diabetes and high blood pressure at younger ages than ever before,” Kelly said. “I see people who are having heart attacks in their 30s and 40s, and if you go back a few decades, that was practically unheard of.”
He continued, “Kids spent most of their time outdoors because there wasn’t much else to do and watching television was kind of a rare treat, but now people are in front of screens all day long. Kids are spending hours and hours on their phone on social media rather than out playing with their friends.”
According to the report, North Carolina was ranked the 26th-worst state for obesity and the 38th-worst for the number of adults with multiple chronic conditions.
“North Carolina has a lot going for it, and I love living here but healthy lifestyles are unfortunately a little less common here than in other parts of the country. A lot of people spend a lot of time in their car rather than on their feet exercising,” Kelly said. “There’s a love of barbecue and fried food that, though delicious, are really not good for your heard.”
Kelly said small changes to help break historical and cultural modes could lead to major health benefits down the line.
“I think we all want to do better, and I think most of us wish we had healthier lifestyles,” he said.
Kelly suggests cutting back on takeout and cooking more at home. He also said to reduce your screen time and to try biking or walking to work if at all possible to increase your daily exercise.
“Make it part of your schedule, put it on your calendar like you would any other appointment and do it,” he said. “Restaurants are not there to make you healthy, they’re there to taste good and make you come back, and the things that taste good might not be so good for you.”
