Defining Health and Wellness - Life Expectancy

In 2001 the NCHS reported that life expectancy at birth had reached a record high of 77.2 years. Life FIGURE 1.3
Low birthweight rates, 2002 expectancy for females (79.8 years) outstripped that of males (74.4 years) by 5.4 years. White females had the longest life expectancy, 80.2 years, compared with 75.5 years for African-American females, 75.0 years for white males, and 68.6 years for African-American males. (See Table 1.11.)

Many factors contribute to the significantly lower life expectancy for African-American men. In addition to issues of access to health care, some observers suggest that African-American males must deal with greater social, economic, and psychological stress than other men, leaving African-American men more susceptible to various diseases. Among African-American males in 2001, the observed number of deaths resulting from homicides, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and cardiovascular disease was much higher than would be expected based on their proportion in the overall population. (See Table 1.12 for comparative causes of death between African-American males and other populations.)