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A new report finds that systemic racism fuels health disparities, with people of color and people living in poorer communities experiencing the steepest drop in life expectancy in the Finger Lakes region. became.

Life expectancy across the Finger Lakes decreased by three years from 2013 to 2021 due to spikes in deaths from drug overdoses, homicides, heart disease and COVID-19, according to Common Ground Health analysis did.

The average life expectancy in the region peaked at 80.5 years in 2013, but has fallen to 77.3 years in 2021, the Health Research Planning Group revealed.

Where you live and how racism affects life expectancy

People of color and people living in low-socioeconomic-status ZIP codes have seen the greatest drop in life expectancy, with the gap in life expectancy the largest since at least 2000, the report found. .

Some of the findings include:

  • In 2021, people living in low-socioeconomic-status ZIP codes had a life expectancy that was 9.2 years lower than those living in high-socioeconomic-status ZIP codes.
  • Life expectancy at birth decreased by 7.5 years for black non-Latinos and 6.8 years for Latinos from their respective peaks.
  • In contrast, life expectancy for white residents fell by only two and a half years.

“Life expectancy should not be determined by the color of your skin or the amount of resources in your neighborhood,” Wade Norwood, CEO of Common Ground Health, said in a statement.

“We know how to close these gaps. We can reverse overdoses, reduce violence, and prevent drug addiction, heart disease and COVID-19,” he added, adding that social determinants of health can help. He pointed out that public health efforts focused on addressing the effects of COVID-19 are key.

Comparison of average life expectancy between Rochester and the United States

But as the country moves toward a post-pandemic world, there are some signs of progress toward improving overall public health.

According to the latest analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national average life expectancy in 2022 will be 77.5 years, a slight increase of 1.1 years from 2021.

This improvement is primarily due to declines in mortality rates from COVID-19, heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, and homicide.

Life expectancy has improved slightly, but remains below the peak of 78.9 years a decade ago. Life expectancy in the United States is also lower than in other comparable countries.

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Life expectancy differs depending on gender

Life expectancy for men increased by 1.3 years from 73.5 years in 2021 to 74.8 years in 2022. Life expectancy for women increased by 0.9 years from 79.3 years in 2021 to 80.2 years in 2022.

What is the cause of the decade-long decline in life expectancy?

The coronavirus pandemic and deadly drug overdoses are causing numerous deaths in the United States.

In 2022, coronavirus-related deaths claimed approximately 186,552 lives. In comparison, fatal overdose claimed 107,941 lives.

“The age-adjusted drug overdose death rate nearly quadrupled from 8.2 in 2002 to 32.6 in 2022,” CDC officials said. This rate did not change significantly between 2021 and 2022.

Heart disease and cancer are the leading causes of death in the United States and have been since the early to mid-1990s, according to the CDC. In 2021, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was the third leading cause of death, but in 2022 it was second only to “unintentional injuries” such as drug overdoses.

Why do some people live longer than others?

“Up to 25% of longevity is genetic,” Dr. Amit Shah, an internist and geriatrician at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, told USA TODAY Network. The rest depends on “factors that we can control,” he said. Diet and exercise are two factors that can affect our longevity.

Socioeconomic status also plays a major role in healthy aging and longevity, with poor communities with limited access to health care being hit hardest.

Contributed by USA TODAY’s Sarah Chernikov to this report.

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