City Residents Live 2 Years Longer Than National Average
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The city says New Yorkers are living record-long lives that outpace the rest of the country.
For example, a baby born in 2010 could live an average of nearly 81 years, two years more than the national average.
In addition, the city says 40-year-old residents can expect to live 42 more years.
What’s your reaction to the rise in life expectancy and the decline in childhood obesity rates? What do you attribute it to? Do you notice a positive change in the health of your fellow New Yorkers? Read New Yorkers' thoughts.
While women might live five years longer than men on average, both genders are living longer lives overall.
"Heart disease and cancer, those are our biggest killers today, and the risk factors for those are the things we've been working on, smoking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity," said city health commissioner Thomas Farley.
"The rest of the country talks about taking care of their people," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "If there's one number that tells you whether you're doing that, it's life expectancy. And this isn't even close, this is off the charts."
The city also says more newborns are surviving childbirth.
Fewer than five infants died per 1,000 live births last year, a record low in the city.