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Life Expectancy: Not Sure What to Expect

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There’s no fool-proof way of predicting how long future generations will live. Scientists and researchers have been providing projections on life expectancy for dozens of years now, but it’s not getting any clearer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a report saying the life expectancy is on the rise. But according to the U.S. National Research Council (NRC), life expectancy is going in the inverse direction.

According to a preliminary report released by the CDC, experts estimated that life expectancy in the United States is rising. Breaking the previous records, experts predict that a baby born in 2009 has the life expectancy of 78 years, 2 months, up from just under 78 in 2007.

CDC researchers and experts said it is not as simple as providing one explanation for the increase, but rather, they believe “better medical treatment, vaccination campaigns and public health measures against smoking are believed to be having an impact,” according to a summary released by the Associated Press.

Furthermore, the infant mortality rate hit a record low of 6.42 deaths per 1,000 live births, a drop of nearly 3 percent from 2008.

Life expectancy varies slightly among sex and race. White women hold the top expectancy at roughly 80.5 years of age; white males expectancy is roughly 75.5 years. Black women’s life expectancy spans 77.2 years and black males is 70.2 years.

All that sounds great, but the NRC says the opposite is occurring. Mostly due to America’s history with smoking, an obesity epidemic and a lack of exercise, children born in other countries are expected to outlive U.S. children

When today's senior citizens were younger, Americans used to smoke more than people in other rich countries. This accounts for about 40 percent of the lag in life expectancy for U.S. men - and almost 80 percent for U.S. women. Obesity is the next most important factor, accounting for between one-fifth and one-third of the U.S. shortfall in life expectancy.

While poor access to health care sends some Americans to an early grave, its effects pale beside the damage caused by unhealthy lifestyles, said Samuel Preston of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, co-chair of the NRC panel. "The basic message is that personal behaviors are primarily responsible," he said.

While the prediction of life expectancy is not an exact science, one thing can be made clear. The importance to lead a healthy lifestyle, and one that is smoke-free, can increase the likelihood of living a longer, healthier, happier life.

American Life Span Edges Longer
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/health/17brfs-ART-AMERICANLIFE_BRF.html?ref=centersfordiseasecontrolandprevention

Expectation of Life at Birth
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s0102.pdf

Life expectancy rising slowly in the U.S.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20927972.800-life-expectancy-rising-slowly-in-the-us.html

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Bailey Mosier
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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.