Misinformation contributing to lower life expectancy in US, FDA chief says

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf says that misinformation about health matters has contributed to lower life expectancy in the United States.

In an interview with CNBC published Tuesday, Califf said that the U.S. has a lower average life expectancy than other high-income countries partly due to the rise of misinformation spurred by the coronavirus pandemic and increased political tensions. He said that the spread of misinformation “bothers him a lot,” noting that the U.S. is essentially in “last place” compared to similar first-world nations.

“Why aren’t we using medical products as effectively and efficiently as our peer countries? A lot of it has to do with choices that people make because of the things that influenced their thinking,” Califf said in the interview.

He said that the misinformation is not limited to addressing COVID-19, also including health conditions such as cardiovascular diseases. Now that everyone is connected to the Internet, he said, misinformation can reach larger audiences, which can make people more hesitant about their health care.

“It’s looking worse, not better, over the last several years,” Califf said.  

He also said that those living in rural areas are emerging as “faring much worse” when it comes to health and life expectancy. Other factors such as race, ethnicity, income and education can also contribute to life expectancy, he pointed out.

Califf said that the United States leads the world in “innovation and medical products” and has the “safest food in the world.”

“And yet, we’re not using those products, and our diets are not leading the world,” he said. “So it’s an implementation phase, where we’ve really got a problem.”

In 2021, life expectancy dropped in the U.S. for the second year in a row, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention falling from 77.0 to 76.1 years.