Life Expectancy Rating

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The disparities between different socioeconomic classes and race play a critical role in why we are currently ranked 51st in the world in life expectancy according to the United States Central intelligence agency. Differences between life expectancy in the United States based on socioeconomic class and race are caused from several factors ranging from nutritional diet, to homicide rates that cause the imbalances of life expectancy; and cause the total life expectancy in our country to fall far from what it has the potential to be. There are solutions to this problem however; solutions that can be made that can shift these disparities between the high and low socioeconomic classes to a more even playing field. Before we can increase our country’s average life-span, we must identify the factors that cause the most significant contribution to our decline in life expectancy to make the greatest impact.
Nutrition is a critical role in increasing the general life expectancy of our population. According to the 2013 Center for Disease and Infection Control, two of the four leading causes of death are heart disease and stroke. Heart disease and stroke is generally something we can control based on the foods we eliminate from our diet. If we choose to eat processed foods that contain a high concentration of sodium, cholesterol and fat calories, heart disease and stroke has a much greater risk of occurring. Fast food restaurants are the juggernaut of unhealthy eating habits and according to CBS news, about one quarter of the U.S. population eats fast food each day. This is because foods in most fast food chains are incredibly cheap in terms of money; but is very costly when it comes to our health. Since fast food is typically cheaper than b...

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11. "Key Facts about the Uninsured Population « » The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation." Key Facts about the Uninsured Population. Kaiser Family Foundation, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. .
12. Cecere, David. "New Study Finds 45,000 Deaths Annually Linked to Lack of Health Coverage | Harvard Gazette." Harvard Gazette. Cambridge Health Alliance, 17 Sept. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/09/new-study-finds-45000-deaths-annually-linked-to-lack-of-health-coverage/
13. Minino, Arialdi M. "Mortality Among Teenagers Aged 12-19 Years: United States, 1999-2006." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 05 May 2010. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. .

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