Health has many different
interpretations of what the word actually means; some think that it is whether
or not you are sick and others, like the World Health Organization (WHO),
define it as complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely
the absence of disease or injury. There are many factors that influence a
person’s health like one’s social status, religion, income, medical
availability, and gender. Gender differences can have a significant impact on
how one handles their health and their longevity—defined as how many years
someone is expected to live.
In
2008 the life expectancy for white women in the United States was 80.6 years,
compared to the life expectancy of white men which was 75.7 years. Historically,
women have always had a longer life expectancy than men (chart below shows the
differences in age from, but a study that was performed in 2008 found that life
expectancy had declined for 19% of the nation’s women and 4% of the nation’s
men by 1.3 years or more. So why did the life expectancy for women decline so
significantly? The decline was related to a few causes, like smoking, obesity,
and high blood pressure.
Looking
further into the causes of the decline in longevity, we will look at the increased
smoking rate and deaths caused from smoking, comparing both men and women.
According to the American Lung Association, in 2008 18.3% of women smoked,
while 23.1% of men smoked. While men have a higher percent of people who smoke,
women are 13 times more likely to die from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease), chronic bronchitis, and emphysema compared to women who never smoke.
In 2009 alone, an estimated 70,490 women died of bronchus and lung cancer.
In
2009-2010, 35.7% of adults were obese. Comparing ages, out of all women 40-59,
36% of them were obese and in the same age range 36.6% of men were obese; below
shows the other percentages in relation to age. Obesity has led to an increase of hypertension,
stroke, and certain types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes. In the past two
decades there has been an increase in the rates of obesity, but currently the
rates are slowing or plateauing.
As
a nation, our current diet and lack of exercise (on average) is leading to a
decrease in longevity for both males and females. Here is my question to you:
as a nation, what can we do to reverse this decline and start increasing life
expectancy?
References:
1. Cockerham, William C. 2012. Medical Sociology, 12th Ed. Boston: Prentice Hall.
2. CDC Development Solutions. (n.d.). CDC Development Solutions. Retrieved April 24, 2013, from http://www.cdc.org
My thought is if we begin teaching good eating habits and daily exercise at home, the chances of a person continuing with those habits will increase. Many low income families are not able to afford entertainment so they are finding it in television, video games and eating out. We should consider teaching our kids to play outside more, go on family walks after dinner and enjoying our local parks for entertainment and increase the opportunity for exercise. This may be a place to start anyway. Thank you for prompting me to consider this in my family as the weather is getting warmer!
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