Health across the life span in the United States and England

Melissa L. Martinson, Princeton University
Julien O. Teitler, Columbia University
Nancy E. Reichman, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Despite higher per capita spending on health care in the United States than in England, older Americans suffer worse health status than the English. There is little evidence on whether health differences also exist at younger ages. This study compares the health of residents of the United States and England from childhood through old age using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the Health Survey for England (HSE), focusing on a number of biological and self-reported health measures. We find that Americans experience worse health than the English throughout the life span and that differences at young ages are as large as those at older ages for most health outcomes.