Life Expectancy In New York City Reaches Record High
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- We're doing something right, New York.
The average life in the nation's biggest city may be hectic, but it's long.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Tuesday that life expectancy has hit a record high: 80.9 years for a baby born in the city in 2010. The national average is 78.7 years.
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"That is higher than last year's all-time high of 80.6 years," Bloomberg said.
The city's life expectancy number has grown by three years since 2001, nearly twice the nationwide rise.
Bloomberg credits factors including anti-smoking efforts, expanded HIV testing and anti-obesity programs. Those include requiring chain restaurants to post calorie counts on menus.
"Not only are New Yorkers living longer, but our improvements continue to outpace the gains in the rest of the nation," said Bloomberg. "Your willingness to invest in health care and bold interventions is paying off in improved health outcomes, decreased infant mortality and increased life expectancy."
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Women are expected to live outlive men by about five years, WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported.
Tuesday's announcement prompted a question thrown to Mayor Bloomberg, who was asked how long he wanted to live.
"I suspect whatever age I pick, the year before I might want to revise that. I think it's a question of 'Are you healthy?' I'm a believer that if you ever stop working, if you ever slow down, you die," he told reporters, including 1010 WINS' Stan Brooks.
"Between the decrease in infant mortality and increase in life expectancy, the future health of New Yorkers has never looked better," said Deputy Mayor Gibbs. "Improvements in medical care, increased outreach to communities and innovative ideas are making the difference and saving lives."
Meanwhile, the city's infant mortality rate hit an all-time low of 4.7 deaths per 1,000 live births last year. It has decreased 23 percent since 2001.
"Life expectancy and infant mortality are excellent measures of the overall health of a population, and these statistics show that New York City is increasingly a healthy place in which to live, work and raise a family," said Health Commissioner Thomas Farley. "The City's efforts to cut smoking, improve care for those with high blood pressure and high cholesterol and treat HIV infection are working."
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