Longevity, Life Expectancy and Statistics

Longitudinal studies are very valuable in longevity research, because they provide information about what behaviors or characteristics are associated with disease development and mortality.

Higher gas prices mean fewer people driving. Fewer people driving mean fewer car accidents and less air pollution. This amounts to around 2,600 fewer deaths for a 20% increase in gas prices — finally, some good news about gas prices.

Life expectancy may be on the decline in the United States, especially in some counties. Every year, we can expect to hear how the overall life expectancy has increased in the United States, but this is not true for all places; some counties have experienced slow or negative changes in life expectancy.

Longevity statistics can be utterly fascinating. This one, the Healthy Working Life Expectancy at Age 50 (HWLE) attempts to measure the number of years the average 50-year-old will be healthy and at work. This is an attempt to measure age-related disability and absence of disease.

The black-white life expectancy gap increased from 1983 to 1993 but decreased from 1993-2003. The reasons for the gap are complicated but include different rates of homicide, heart disease, injuries and infant mortality.

Longevity can be complicated. Terms like life expectancy, mortality, life extension and life span all convey slightly different meanings and nuances. Understand these terms, and you will have a better grasp on longevity and healthy aging.

Life expectancies give us a way to compare countries, groups, and genders on their overall health. The life expectancy numbers are more complicated than they seem at first. Find out why your life expectancy increases as you get older.

Healthy Life Expectancy, also called HALE, represent the number of years, on average, a newborn can expect to live in full health. HALEs are useful for comparing the healthiness of different countries, not merely their life expectancy.

Longevity is a word used for "long life." The easiest way to increase your longevity is through living a healthy lifestyle. While people may talk about life extension, anti-aging medicine and other technological ways of extending life - the only proven way is through preventing illness and living healthy. Learn more about Longevity

Disability Adjusted Life Years for an illness measure the years of potential life lost and the years spend with disability. This information allows officials and researchers to compare the suffering caused by different health conditions.

Life span is the maximum number of years an individual from a given species can live. For humans, that number is 122. No one has creditably lived longer that Jeanne Clament of France, who died in 1997 at the age of 122.

Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) measures premature mortality. By subtracting the age of death from the average life expectancy, researchers and officials can evaluate the public health impact of different diseases and injuries.

Most of the top causes of death are preventable through a healthy lifestyle of exercise, good nutrition and safety. You can significantly increase your life expectancy by healthy living.

Causes of death in this age group range from accidents to congenital conditions with homicide and suicide taking the number tow and three spots. Reducing risk taking is a major way to assure a long life expectancy in your 20s.

Mortality for the ages 25-44 begins to shift toward illnesses impacted by lifestyle factors. Accidents are still an important risk, but chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease begin to take their toll.

What are the top causes of death for ages 45-64? What can be done to prevent some of these conditions? How can you avoid these causes?