[[Health Week 1]]
1. I chose the year 1925.
2. The most common cause of death in 2023 and 1925 is heart disease, and cancer is in the top five most common causes for both years as well.
3. While COVID-19 is the tenth most common cause of death in the United States in 2023, the common flu was the second most common cause of death in 1925. Strokes are also the fourth most common cause of death in 2023, while they are not in the top ten in 1925.
4. The most common cause of death in the United States currently is heart disease, which is a noncommunicable disease meaning that it is a result of behavioral, environmental and genetic factors. One of the reasons why heart disease is a large cause of death in the United States is the rising obesity rate and amount of processed, unhealthy food that Americans are eating. The obesity rate has been rising for decades in the United States, and obesity can lead to increased blood pressure which is a risk factor for heart disease. The diet of Americans has gotten progressively more processed and has included more salts, sugars and fats which leads to an increased risk for obesity. These are likely reasons for why heart disease as well as diabetes are such common causes of death currently.
5. Recently I have seen stories about a lot of the most common causes of death in the United States. Cancer has been in the news recently in relation to budget cuts and the reduced ability for our country to research possible cures, and I think it is still in media because it is represented as a goal that our country and the world is working towards solving. Accidents also often make the news because they are shocking and make for good news stories. There has also been talk about heart disease and obesity in the United States with one of the current HHS's focuses being on reducing the processed food in our diets.