The Underprivileged in the U.S. Die 60% More Often, a Study Reveals 0 14

Financial difficulties increase the risk of death by 60%. This conclusion was reached by American scientists from Mayo Clinic Proceedings, who analyzed ECG data from over 280,000 patients using artificial intelligence, reports Vice.

The study was conducted on patients over 18 years old who sought help at the clinic from 2018 to 2023. Respondents filled out a questionnaire with questions about 9 factors: stress, physical activity, social connections, housing instability, financial difficulties, lack of food security, transportation needs, nutrition, and education.

Using AI technology, researchers analyzed the ECG data of patients. The technology assessed the wear and tear on the cardiovascular system: the higher the wear, the greater the risk of diseases and death.

Financial difficulties have the most significant impact on the rate of "aging" of the heart. Among patients who experienced financial difficulties for two years, the risk of death was increased by 60%, even if the patients followed medical recommendations. In comparison, having had a heart attack increases the risk of death by only 10%.

As the main American newspaper, The New York Times, writes, "as the poverty rate in New York City rises, one in four residents cannot afford basic necessities. According to a report from Columbia University and a poverty-fighting group, the proportion of New Yorkers living in poverty is nearly double the national average. According to this report, more than half of its residents live in families with incomes below 200% of the poverty line."

A quarter of New Yorkers, the newspaper notes, do not have enough money for rent, and even for food, and many say they cannot afford to see a doctor, according to a report highlighting the severity of the accessibility crisis that elected officials are trying to address.

The Columbia University report mentioned by the newspaper is part of a roughly 13-year study that surveys a representative sample of more than 3,000 households in New York City. Researchers use a different metric than the federal government to measure poverty, taking into account income, non-cash support such as tax credits, and local cost of living.

According to this measure, the poverty threshold for a couple with two children in a rental household in New York City is now $47,190. The study found that 58% of New Yorkers, or more than 4.8 million people, were in families with incomes below 200% of the poverty line—about $94,000 for a couple with two children or $44,000 for a single adult. The poverty rate among Black, Latino, and Asian residents was about twice as high as among white residents, according to the report. The report also states that 26% of children in New York, or 420,000 children, live in poverty.