Disparities in US Life Expectancy Loom

A man in Fairfax County, Virginia, can expect to live 15 years longer than one in Holmes County, Mississippi, according to a study released today that illuminates health disparities across the United States.

A woman in Collier County, Florida, has 12 years on a woman in Holmes, in the Mississippi Delta region of the southern state, said researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle. The study examined life expectancy in 3,147 U.S. counties through 2007.

Tobacco use, obesity, and high blood pressure have dropped life expectancy in Appalachia, the Deep South and northern Texas, said Christopher Murray, the institute director and a report author. He called for more investment in public health programs and increased emphasisWashington, D.C., and 86 years for women in Collier, in the southwest part of Florida, the longest in the country.

Highest Achievers

Counties in the northern Plains and on the East and West Coasts saw the highest life expectancies, the study showed. Overall, life expectancy at birth in 2007 was 75.6 years for men and 80.8 years for women. The United States lags the top 10 countries in life expectancy by 3.2 years, according to the report.

Between 1987 and 2007, life expectancy increased by 4.3 years for men and 2.4 years for women, the study showed. Some counties, such as La Paz in Arizona, saw expected life spans shrink in that time.

Changes in life expectancy have been particularly poor for women, Murray said. Between 2000 and 2007, 661 U.S. counties