Lifespan shaved off in areas with great smoking and obesity rates

Lifespan Fluctuates Across the U.S.

The lifespan of Americans vary widely from one area to another, with residents of those areas having obesity and smoking problems experiencing shorter life expectancies, a report published in Population Health Metrics said today.

A recent, separate estimate by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that an American born in 2009 could expect to live 78 years and 2 months -- an all-time high.

But the new report's statistics of hundreds of U.S. counties suggest that more needs to be done for areas that have lagged behind the upward trend in the lifespan.

"There are enormous variations within the country," said study author Dr. Christopher Murray of the University of Washington.

Murray's research covered the period from 2000 until 2007. The study showed that the lifespan for men plummeted in 251 U.S. counties while women's life expectancy dropped in 702 counties out of 3,100.

The lifespan of both men and women was reduced in 158 counties during the same period.

Factors such as race and poverty did not seem to account largely for the discrepancies, the study said. Instead, Murray and his team said smoking, obesity and other health risks are to blame for the reduction in the lifespan of Americans.

Some said that migration should be at least considered as a crucial factor. But Murray said he did not find migration as a determinant because there was little migration happening in counties with the lowest life expectancy.

Perhaps not surprisingly, cities with more job and educational opportunities registered the longest lifespan among all areas.

Posted by George Daniels on Thursday June 16 2011, 6:28 AM EST. Ref: Yahoo. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0