Hawaiʻi life expectancy declined less than national average during COVID-19

A new study led by researchers at University of Hawaiʻi Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health and Hawaiʻi Department of Health found that Hawaiʻi experienced a smaller decline in life expectancy compared to national trends.

Yan Yan Wu, Michael Phillips and Kathryn L. Braun from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Public Health Sciences along with Lance Ching and Claire Prieto from the state Department of Health Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division found that life expectancy in Hawaiʻi declined by 1.4 years — from 82.1 in 2019 to 80.7 in 2021.

Decline nationwide during the same period was 2.4 years, from 78.8 to 76.4.

The findings were published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health.

“The smaller magnitude and delayed timing of Hawaiʻi’s decline may reflect the state’s geographic isolation and early implementation of public health interventions,” said study lead author Wu in a release about the findings. “In 2022, life expectancy partially rebounded by 0.5 years in Hawaiʻi and by 0.9 years nationally, with Hawaiʻi remaining about 4 years higher than the U.S. average throughout the pandemic.”

Key findings

• Life expectancy in Hawaiʻi remained stable from 2018 to 2020 (82.3, 82.1 and 82.0 years, respectively).
• A decline occurred in 2021 to 80.7 years, followed by a partial rebound to 81.2 years in 2022.
• Life expectancy among men fell from 79.2 years in 2018 to 77.5 years in 2021, then rose to 78.2 years in 2022.
• Life expectancy among women fell from 85.4 years in 2018 to 84.0 years in 2021, rebounding to 84.4 years in 2022.
• The gap between women’s and men’s life expectancy widened to 6.5 years in 2021 before narrowing to 6.2 years in 2022 — the same as in 2019.
• Hawaiʻi’s overall decline in life expectancy remained less severe than the U.S. average throughout the pandemic, despite these fluctuations.

State Health Department Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division epidemiologist Ching said Hawaiʻi ranks among the top U.S. states for COVID-19 vaccination coverage. Data reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that by May 2023 more than 90% of residents received at least one dose and more than 80% were considered fully vaccinated with the primary COVID-19 vaccine series.

“These high vaccination levels — reached over the course of the pandemic — helped delay the peak of COVID-19 mortality in Hawaiʻi by approximately 6 months compared to the national average and contributed to the state’s distinction of having the lowest age-adjusted COVID-19 death rate in the country.” Ching added in the release.

Researchers note that Hawaiʻi’s better outcomes underscore the effectiveness of early public health interventions, strong community engagement and high vaccine uptake.

They recommend that future policies build on these strengths by investing in rapid-response infrastructure and maintaining high vaccination coverage to better protect vulnerable communities during future disease outbreaks.