People from marginalized communities and low-income neighborhoods are experiencing significant declines in life expectancy in the Finger Lakes region due to the impact of systemic racism on health disparities.
The rise in fatalities from drug overdoses, homicides, heart disease, and COVID-19 has led to a three-year reduction in the overall life expectancy in the Finger Lakes area between 2013 and 2021. The average life expectancy, which reached 80.5 years in 2013, dropped to 77.3 years by 2021, as reported by the health research and planning group.
The report highlighted the stark disparities in life expectancy, particularly noting that individuals residing in ZIP codes with lower socioeconomic status faced a life expectancy that was 9.2 years less than those in higher socioeconomic status areas. The decline in life expectancies was most pronounced for Black non-Latino and Latino residents, decreasing by 7.5 years and 6.8 years respectively from their peak levels. In contrast, white residents experienced a smaller decline of 2.5 years.
CEO of Common Ground Health emphasized that one’s skin color or neighborhood resources should not dictate their lifespan, advocating for efforts to address overdoses, violence, drug addiction, heart disease, and COVID-19 to bridge these gaps in life expectancy.
While the national life expectancy in the United States slightly increased to 77.5 years in 2022, there is still room for improvement compared to previous years and other similar countries. The rise in life expectancy was attributed to reductions in mortality from COVID-19, heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, and homicides.
The CDC highlighted the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on life expectancy, with COVID-related deaths surpassing those from fatal overdoses in 2022. Factors such as heart disease, cancer, and unintentional injuries, including drug overdoses, continue to be leading causes of death in the U.S.
Dr. Amit Shah from Mayo Clinic emphasized the role of genetics, diet, exercise, and socioeconomic status in longevity, with up to 25% of longevity being attributed to genetic factors. Access to healthcare and healthy lifestyle choices significantly influence healthy aging and lifespan.