US life expectancy rates are lower for this US region, study finds
FILE-People walk along a boardwalk in New York City. (Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)
A recent study reveals differences in life expectancy rates across the country and Washington, D.C. over the past 100 years.
Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) examined over 179 million deaths between 1969 and 2020.
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The study, published in JAMA Network, also traced life expectancy trends by birth group, which the researchers noted in their data is a more accurate measure for tracking the life experience of a population than traditional year-by-year summaries of mortality, which represent a mix of many generations.
Researchers find disparities in U.S. life expectancy rates
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The study draws a distinction between short and long life expectancy rates for females and males from 1900 to 2000.
Researchers show that states in the Northeast and West, and Washington, D.C. had the highest life expectancy rates. But states including Hawaii and Massachusetts were also among the top for life expectancy rates for men and women.
The report also assessed the number to which mortality increased after age 35, which is outlined by the number of years it takes for a person’s risk of death to double.
Researchers explained in their study that longer doubling times suggest healthier aging. New York and Florida showed slower mortality increases, while Oklahoma and Iowa saw faster mortality rates.
Meanwhile, the study also noted that D.C. had the lowest life expectancy for the 1900 birth group but experienced an improvement of 30 years for females and 38 years for males by 2000.
Conversely, states like Mississippi, Alabama, and Kentucky had smaller life expectancy rates, specifically among women, implying that factors like socioeconomic disadvantages, limited access to health care, and weaker public health initiatives have impacted mortality rates.
Researchers concluded in their findings that some states have had minimal or no improvements in life expectancy from 1900 to 2000 birth groups. The team noted that understanding how mortality patterns change by birth groups within each state can inform decision-making among U.S. officials when it comes to figuring out how to provide resources to better manage health disparities nationwide.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by a study from Yale researchers published in JAMA Network. The team evaluated life expectancy trends from 1900 to 2000 in the U.S. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.