Contributed by Tom Harrison| 12 September, 2006 03:13 GMT
Americans are living longer than ever before, but life spans are apparently related to racial makeup and place of residence, say researchers. Life expectancy in the US varies tremendously from place to place in the country and from one ethnic group to another.
Although the average life span in the US continues to rise, gaps in life expectancy have changed little from 1982 to 2001. There is a wide gulf -- as much as 33 years -- between those who enjoy the best health and those who are most likely to suffer from illnesses, according to a new study published in
PLoS Medicine.
Researchers at Harvard University's Initiative for Global Health and its School of Public Health divided the US into eight "Americas" based on factors including race, location, population density, income and homicide rates:
Asians, 10.4 million popuulation, $21,566 average income, life expectancy 84.9 years;
Northland low-income rural whites, 3.6 million population, $17,758 average income, life expectancy 79 years;
Middle Americans, 214 million population, $24,640 average income, life expectancy 77.9 years;
Low-income whites in Appalachia and Mississippi, 16.6 million population, $16,390 average income, life expectancy 75 years;
Western Native American, 1 million, $10,029 average income, life expectancy 72.7 years;
Black middle America, 23.4 million population, $15,412 average income, life expectancy 72.9 years;
Southern, rural, low-income black, 5.8 million population, $10,463 average income, life expectancy 71.2 years; and
High-risk urban black, 7.5 million population, $14,800 average income, life expectancy 71.1 years.
The primary cause of the disparities between racial and geographic groups is early death from chronic disease and injuries, an analysis of data from the Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics showed.
Asian-American women living in Bergen County, NJ, enjoy the greatest life expectancy in the US, at 91 years. American Indians in South Dakota have the worst, at 58 years.
The differences were attributed to a combination of injuries and such preventable risk factors as smoking, alcohol, obesity, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diet and physical inactivity -- particularly among people from 15 years to 59 years of age. They were not due to income, insurance, infant mortality, AIDS or violence, said the study's lead investigator, Christopher J.L. Murray, director of the Harvard Initiative for Global Health.
Most public health initiatives target children and the elderly, he noted.
The study looked at life expectancy by geographical areas as well. Hawaii led the 50 states and Washington, DC, with an average life span of 80 years, while DC trailed at 72 years.
Personal choices could be more important than access to medical care in improving life expectancy, Dr. Murray noted. Half of the people who have high-blood pressure fail to get it controlled, two-thirds of those with high cholesterol do not get medication to lower it, and two-thirds of diabetics fail to manage the disease, in spite of the fact that 85 percent of the population overall has health insurance. |
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