Life expectancy of Americans hits 78

[Ping898]

Life expectancy of Americans hits 78

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070912/ap_on_re_us/life_expectancy

The life expectancy for Americans is nearly 78 years, the longest in U.S. history, according to new government figures from 2005 released Thursday.
That age, based on the latest data available, was still lower than the life span in more than three dozen other countries, however.
More bad news: The annual number of U.S. deaths rose from 2004 to 2005, a depressing uptick after the figure had dropped by 50,000 from 2003 to 2004. In 2005, the number of deaths increased by about that same amount.
U.S. life expectancy at birth inched up to 77.9 from the previous record, 77.8, recorded for 2004. The increase was more dramatic in contrast with 1995, when life expectancy was 75.8, and 1955, when it was 69.6.
The improvement was led by a drop in deaths from heart disease and stroke — two of the nation's leading killers, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, which released the new life expectancy report Wednesday.
......
Researchers also noted continued differences by race and sex. Life expectancy for whites in 2005 was 78.3, the same as it was in 2004. Black life expectancy rose from 73.1 in 2004 to 73.2 in 2005, but it was still nearly five years lower than the white figure.
Life expectancy for women continues to be five years longer than for men, the report also found.

....
The United States continues to lag behind at least 40 other nations. Andorra, a tiny country in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain, has the longest life expectancy, at 83.5 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Japan, Macau, San Marino and Singapore ranked second, third, fourth and fifth.

 

[donna]

Found this list interesting.

http://www.airninja.com/worldfacts/LifeExpectancyOfNations.htm

 

[Steel Tiger]

So the United States still has a way to go to catch up to us down in Australia.

Number six in the world with 80.62.

I would like to see our deaths by heart disease numbers though.

It was a bit disturbing to see the discrepancy between black and white America.

Epidemiology and demography are fascinating subjects.

 

[MA-Caver]

Well my dad has beaten the odds then... he's 81 and me step mum is 79. My family is fairly long lived. My uncle recently died at 92 and my Grandmother (father's mother) died at 88. Grandpappy though died young (by our standards) at 57.
Me, well I expect to live a while longer and if I'm not kilt outright doing what I love the most (caving) I hope to achieve it.

 

[terryl965]

Well that means I still have at least thirty more years YEA!!!!!!!

 

[Steel Tiger]

In an earlier post I was crowing about Australia's long life expectancy, but today I have found out something quite disturbing.

I found a five year discrepancy between black and white America a little worrying, but it is nowhere near as worrying as the thirteen year gap between Australian Aborigines and the rest of the population. That gives them a life expectancy of 67 years. Something that needs to be addressed I think.

Ian Thorpe and Cathy Freeman have jumped in to support this issue.

 

[meth18au]

Is that true? Even amongst city dwelling aboriginies? That's a very short life expectancy by western standards.

What do you think of the government proposing intervention in indigenous communities with problems? This could help- if approached the right way. I think in some communities, petrol sales have restrictions, curfews have been imposed etc. I don't know the full story I must admit- but surely the state of some of these remote communities leads to this extremely low life expectancy for aboriginies?

 

[Steel Tiger]

They are the numbers that a recent study has thrown up. I expect the life expectancy for city-dwelling Aborigines is higher but the average is being dragged down by some of the appalling communities in the bush. Not all communities mind you.

The government intervention? I really don't know if it is going to be a big help or not. It appears that some communities that are doing really well might go backwards as a result of a blanket heavy-handedness.

 

[Senjojutsu]

Stealing a stand-up up comic line:

I read that life expectancy is now over eighty years old, but these are the years you don’t want to live!
:lol:

Seriously if you believe some futurists, in just a couple of generations we may double or triple our current middle age years (Ages 30-60), so people could live active life spans to ages 120 or 140.

Think about all the societal complications.

Let’s start with the concepts of “retirement”, Social Security and my favorite - public employee pensions.