Health News Blog
U.S. Life Expectancy Rates on The Decline?
Email PageAccording to the Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics, children born in the U.S. in 2004 will live for an average of 77.9 years. This places us at a whopping 42nd in the world! A couple decades earlier we ranked 11th. I know that a lack of health care is not the only contributing factor to our life expectancy demise. Other obvious factors include nutrition and lifestyle since our weight is ballooning and activity level declines yearly. Socialized medicine will certainly increase life expectancy but we have to change other social factors too.
Samantha Goss, RD, LD/N
Nutrition Specialist.
“We are all measured by inches, ages, numbers and all the outside things that don’t add up to who we are on the inside. So let your weight loss journey be one of self-acceptance every step of the way. If you are unhappy with yourself fifty pounds heavier you’ll probably feel the same way when you lose the weight. Happiness is not embedded in outward appearances.”
Labels: Life expectancy
Comment by 
said... - August 26, 2007 1:16 PM
Thanks so much for posting this. Yes, it has been predicted that those of us late baby boomers will outlive our children. Life expectancy is expected to decline. Hopefully the combination of looking at our children with this in mind, and seeing that despite spending more than any other country on the planet on health care, we don't make the top forty in life-years, will help raise the emotions needed to effect change.
We spend a lot of money planning for retirement and college for our children. Perhaps we need to invest some of that time in preparing healthy food for our families and getting outside together to exercise.
Thanks for the reminder that we all need to be happy at whatever weight we are (a thin body does not ensure happiness), but I know my children will be happiest if I manage my weight to stay healthy for myself and them and to provide a good example to them. We are all afraid of the "C" word, and obesity is responsible for 20 percent of cancers in women in the US.
Lynne Eldridge MD
Author, "Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time"
http://www.avoidcancernow.com
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