根據(jù)美國有線電視新聞網(wǎng)（CNN）報道，一項研究顯示，與其他高度工業(yè)化的發(fā)達國家（或地區(qū)）相比，近幾十年來美國的預期壽命一直處于較落后水平。作為全球新冠肺炎死亡病例最多的國家，新冠疫情進一步縮短了美國的預期壽命，拉大了差距。研究論文作者史蒂文·伍爾夫稱，"這次新冠疫情造成了巨大的生命損失，但它真正反映了美國存在已久的、系統(tǒng)性的問題，這些問題幾十年來一直在損害美國人的健康。"

The Covid-19 pandemic set US life expectancy back by years, but new research shows that the country has been falling behind for decades.
新冠疫情使美國預期壽命縮短了數(shù)年，但新的研究表明，幾十年來美國的預期壽命排名一直在落后。

In 1950, the US had the 12th longest life expectancy among certain populous countries（or regions）, with more than half a million residents, according to a study published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health. There was a 3.5-year difference between the US and Norway, which had the longest life expectancy at the time.
6月1日發(fā)表在《美國公共衛(wèi)生雜志》上的一項研究顯示，1950 年，在人口超過 50 萬的國家（或地區(qū)）中美國的預期壽命排名第 12 位。美國和挪威之間的差距為 3.5 歲，后者是當時預期壽命最長的國家。

By 2019, the life expectancy gap between the US and the highest-performing region – now Hong Kong – had grown to more than six years, putting the US in 40th place among populous countries.
到 2019 年，美國的預期壽命排名第 40 位，與表現(xiàn)最好的地區(qū)（中國香港）之間的差距已經(jīng)擴大到6歲以上。

The Covid-19 pandemic widened that gap even more, as the US had more deaths from the virus than any other country and has been slower to recover. In 2020, the US ranked 46th and had a 7.8-year gap from the highest-performing region, according to the study. Life expectancy was 77.4 years in the US that year, compared with 85.2 years in Hong Kong, according to data from the United Nations.
新冠疫情使這一差距進一步擴大，美國是全球新冠肺炎死亡病例最多的國家，而且恢復速度較慢。根據(jù)該研究，2020年，美國的預期壽命排名在第46位，與表現(xiàn)最好的中國香港有7.8年的差距。聯(lián)合國數(shù)據(jù)顯示，2020年美國的預期壽命是77.4歲，而中國香港是85.2歲。

Life expectancy is a “summary measure of our health,” said study author Dr. Steven Woolf, director emeritus of the Virginia Commonwealth University Center on Society and Health. It’s not the only way to gauge the quality of life in a particular place, but it does tend to mirror trends in other health-related metrics, he said.
研究論文作者、弗吉尼亞聯(lián)邦大學社會與健康中心名譽主任史蒂文·伍爾夫博士說，預期壽命是"衡量健康的簡要指標"。他說，雖然預期壽命不是衡量某個地區(qū)生活質(zhì)量的唯一方式，但確實能反映健康相關指標的趨勢。

For these measures, the US is often compared with other wealthy and highly-industrialized nations （or regions）that are considered to be its peers.
在這方面，人們經(jīng)常將美國與其他高度工業(yè)化的發(fā)達國家（或地區(qū)）進行比較。

But this report shows that a diverse group of countries across six continents and a range of economic conditions have surpassed the US on life expectancy. Among the countries that have surpassed the US in recent years are Albania and Lebanon.
但這份報告顯示，一些經(jīng)濟欠發(fā)達國家的預期壽命已經(jīng)超過了美國。例如，近年來，阿爾巴尼亞和黎巴嫩等預期壽命已經(jīng)超過美國。

“The premise is shifting,” Woolf said.
“前提正在改變，”伍爾夫說。

The US “l(fā)ife expectancy disadvantage” has steadily worsened since 1950, according to the new study, and Woolf groups the trend into six phases. There were some years of growth and rebound, but more often than not, the pace of increase for the US lagged behind that of other countries. Overall, the US had smaller annual increases in life expectancy than other populous countries（or regions）, on average, in 49 of the 70 years studied.
根據(jù)這項新研究，美國的“預期壽命劣勢”自 1950 年以來持續(xù)惡化，伍爾夫?qū)⑦@一趨勢分為六個階段。有幾年的增長和反彈，但美國的預期壽命增長速度往往落后于其他國家?？傮w而言，在所研究的70年中，有49年美國的預期壽命年增長率低于其他人口大國（或地區(qū)）。

“The pandemic was horrific loss of life, but it really reflects pre-existing, systemic problems in our country that have been compromising the health of Americans for decades.”
伍爾夫說，"這次新冠疫情造成了巨大的生命損失，但它真正反映了我們國家存在已久的、系統(tǒng)性的問題，這些問題幾十年來一直在損害美國人的健康。"

A decade ago, a group of researchers set out to identify the specific factors that were holding the US back from achieving the same gains in life expectancy as other countries. The report from the National Research Council Institute of Medicine focused on five key areas: health care, health behaviors, social and economic factors, environment and public policy.
十年前，一組研究人員著手研究阻礙美國實現(xiàn)與其他國家一樣的預期壽命增長的具體因素。美國國家科學研究委員會的研究報告集中在五個關鍵領域：醫(yī)療保健、健康行為、社會和經(jīng)濟因素、環(huán)境和公共政策。

“We hoped that there would be an answer in one of those that would sort of be a magic bullet. But in every single one of those categories, we found dramatic differences between the US and other countries,” Woolf said – and things have only gotten worse since.
“我們希望其中一個能夠成為解決問題的答案。但在報告的每一個類別中，我們都發(fā)現(xiàn)美國與其他國家/地區(qū)之間存在巨大差異，”伍爾夫說此后情況只會變得更糟。

For example, the US lacks universal health care and has higher caloric intake, more guns, more drugs and higher rates of child poverty, among other differences.
例如，美國缺乏全民醫(yī)療保健，飲食熱量攝入較高，槍支毒品泛濫，兒童貧困率較高等。

編輯：董靜，李蕙帆（實習）