BOSTON - The slower paced life in rural Georgia apparently does not translate into a longer life expectancy but the faster paced lifestyle - such as the one we lead in Gainesville - does.
A new Harvard study of every county in the country shows people in the the more prosperous, growth-centered ones tend to live longer. The reason: they are usually better educated, better off financially, and have access to better medical care.
For example, the life expectancy in Hall County is 74.3 years; but, in some of the more rural areas in Georgia, it's up to five years less.
Fayette leads the state at 78.9 years.
According to the report, which is posted on the Harvard Web site, the best-off people, like Asian women in Bergen County, N.J., have a life expectancy 33 years longer than the worst-off, Native American males in some South Dakota counties - 91 versus 58 years. So concludes the most comprehensive study to date of who dies when and where in this country.
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Initiative for Global Health analyzed census and health statistics data for the years 1982 to 2001. They found what they call "an enormous gap" in life expectancies based on race, counties of residence, income, and a few other social factors.
The analysis led the researchers to the idea that there are "eight different Americas." White middle America and black middle America are different from each other (whites live longer than blacks) and from low-income white America, Southern low-income rural black America, Northern low-income rural white America, high-risk urban black America, and Asian America.
To read more about the study and to find out how your county stacks up, click on the links below.
Friday
October 25th, 2024
9:23AM
