|
Forbes.com
U.S. Ranks 42nd in
Life Expectancy,
Statistics Show
Health Highlights,
forbes.com from the Web, August 15, 2007
While Americans' life span continues
to grow, people in the United States might be surprised to learn their longevity
rate doesn't even come close to cracking the top 25.
According to a survey done by the Associated Press, the United States ranks 41st
in lifespan, behind most of Europe, Japan and some countries that might surprise
Americans, such as Jordan and Singapore.
Not only that, the A.P. reports, but also the United States' ranking at 42nd in
life expectancy (average age of 77.9 years) is much lower than 20 years ago,
when it ranked 11th.
Some of the reasons for the decline in ranking cited by the wire service were
the U.S. having world's highest obesity rates and a five year disparity in
lifespan between white and black Americans (black Americans' average longevity
is 73.5 years), according to research proved by the U.S. Census Bureau and the
National Center for Health Statistics.
"The U.S. has the resources that allow people to get fat and lazy," Paul Terry,
an assistant professor of epidemiology at Emory University in Atlanta, told the
A.P. "We have the luxury of choosing a bad lifestyle as opposed to having
one imposed on us by hard times."
And where do people live the longest? According to the U.S. Census Bureau,
the country with that distinction is Andorra, a tiny country in the Pyrenees
between France and Spain, with an average life expectancy of 83.5 years.
(Abridged)
|
