http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060911/...ican_longevity
Excerpt:
The
CDC has some county-targeted programs — like one that has cut in half diabetes-caused amputations among black men in Charleston, S.C., since 1999, largely by encouraging physical activity — and the new study argues for more, he said.
"It's not just telling people to be active or not to smoke," Giles said. "We need to create the environment which assists people in achieving a healthy lifestyle."
The study also highlights that the complicated tapestry of local and cultural customs may be more important than income in driving health disparities, said Richard Suzman of the National Institute on Aging, which co-funded the research.
"It's not just low income," Suzman said. "It's what people eat, it's how they behave, or simply what's available in supermarkets."
Murray analyzed mortality data between 1982 and 2001 by county, race, gender and income.
He found some distinct groupings that he named the "eight Americas:"
_Asian-Americans, average per capita income of $21,566, have a life expectancy of 84.9 years.
_Northland low-income rural whites, $17,758, 79 years.
_Middle America (mostly white), $24,640, 77.9 years.
_Low income whites in Appalachia, Mississippi Valley, $16,390, 75 years.
_Western American Indians, $10,029, 72.7 years.
_Black Middle America, $15,412, 72.9 years.
_Southern low-income rural blacks, $10,463, 71.2 years.
_High-risk urban blacks, $14,800, 71.1 years.
Longevity disparities were most pronounced in young and middle-aged adults.
A 15-year-old urban black man was 3.8 times as likely to die before the age of 60 as an Asian-American, for example.
That's key, Murray said, because this age group is left out of many government health programs that focus largely on children and the elderly.
Excerpt #2
Life expectancy by state, according to a study in the online science journal PLoS Medicine:
*State Life *expectancy *Rank
Ala. 74.4 48
Alaska 77.1 26
Ariz. 77.5 22
Ark. 75.2 43
Calif. 78.2 10
Colo. 78.2 12
Conn. 78.7 4
Del. 76.8 29
D.C. 72 51
Fla. 77.5 21
Ga. 75.3 41
Hawaii 80.0 1
Idaho 77.9 15
Ill. 76.4 33
Ind. 76.1 37
Iowa 78.3 7
Kan. 77.3 24
Ky. 75.2 42
La. 74.2 49
Maine 77.6 20
Md. 76.3 35
Mass. 78.4 5
Mich. 76.3 34
Minn. 78.8 2
Miss. 73.6 50
Mo. 75.9 38
Mont. 77.2 25
Neb. 77.8 16
Nev. 75.8 39
N.H. 78.3 6
N.J. 77.5 23
N.M. 77.0 27
N.Y. 77.7 19
N.C. 75.8 40
N.D. 78.3 8
Ohio 76.2 36
Okla. 75.2 44
Ore. 77.8 17
Pa. 76.7 31
R.I. 78.3 9
S.C. 74.8 47
S.D. 77.7 18
Tenn. 75.1 45
Texas 76.7 30
Utah 78.7 3
Vt. 78.2 11
Va. 76.8 28
Wash. 78.2 13
W.Va. 75.1 46
Wis. 77.9 14
Wyo. 76.7 32
WHERE You Live Linked To HOW LONG You Live
Linear Mode
