Study: people live shorter lives in the South

Residents of the South regardless of race, and blacks throughout the United States, have lower healthy life expectancy at age 65, according to a report in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Healthy life expectancy (HLE) is a population health measure that estimates expected years of life in good health for people at a given age. CDC used 2007-2009 data from the National Vital Statistics Systems, U.S. Census Bureau, and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to calculate HLEs by sex and race for each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., for all people aged 65 years. "Where you live in the United States shouldn't determine how long and how healthy you live - but it does, far more than it should," said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "Not only do people in certain states and African-Americans live shorter lives, they also live a greater proportion of their last years in poor health. It will be important moving forward to support prevention programs that make it easier for people to be healthy no matter where they live."

********** Published: July 25, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 15