Table of Contents
Introduction
Details
Concluding Points
Reference

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Introduction

The article by Mazzei (2019) analyzes the information provided in a report by the National Safety Council. This document discusses the different causes of preventable deaths in the US. According to it, for the US population, opioid overdose is one of the most frequent causes of death, and citizens are more likely to die from an opioid overdose than in a car accident (Mazzei, 2019). The purpose of this paper is to summarize the main insights discussed in the article by Mazzei (2019).

Details

Despite the fact that the article reveals devastating statistics concerning opioid overdose, it should be stressed that the main causes of death among the population as a whole are various types of cancer and heart disease. It is stated that “the probability of dying from an opioid overdose, according to the report, is one in 96” (Mazzei, 2019, para. 2). According to Mazzei (2019), the equivalent statistic for vehicle crashes is one in 103, which means that US citizens are less likely to die in an auto incident than from drug overdose.

Another significant data point reflected in the report indicates that despite evident progress in combating fatal illnesses, average life expectancy has decreased (Mazzei, 2019). This means that although improved health care has made it possible to gain control over preventable causes of death, the improvement did not have the desired effect on the average life expectancy. Apart from opioid overdose, other preventable causes include falling (which is particularly relevant for senior citizens), respiratory disease, suicide, and firearms.

Concluding Points

Thus, it can be concluded that the report prepared by the National Safety Council reveals a negative tendency in deaths from preventable causes. The progress made in combating fatal illnesses was not enough to lead to an overall positive development of the average life expectancy of the population. Moreover, the data on opioid overdose implies that immediate measures should be taken to address this public health issue.

Reference

Mazzei, P. (2019). Opioids, car crashes and falling: The odds of dying in the U.S. The New York Times. Web.