Modern medicine has had less impact on longevity than lifestyle factors. While medicine helped reduce childhood mortality rates, a person who survived childhood was likely to live nearly as long with or without modern medicine. States with healthier lifestyles like Utah and Nevada saw adult death rates up to 40% lower than other areas with comparable resources, due to factors like less smoking, moderate drinking, regular exercise, and sufficient sleep. The contemporary health effort has been largely misdirected, with successes incorrectly attributed to medicine rather than underlying lifestyle and environmental conditions.