A child born in the United States in 2005 can expect to live nearly 78 years -- a new high -- according to a recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics is based on approximately 99 percent of death records reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia for 2005 and documents the latest trends in the leading causes of death and infant mortality.
The increase in life expectancy represents a continuation of a long-running trend. Over the past decade, life expectancy has increased from 75.8 years in 1995, and from 69.6 years in 1955.
"This report highlights the continued reduction in deaths from the three leading killers in the United States -- heart disease, cancer, and stroke -- which is most likely due to better prevention efforts and medical advances in the treatments of these diseases," said Hsiang-Ching Kung, a survey statistician with the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics and one of the report's authors. "If death rates from certain leading causes of death continue to decline, we should continue to see improvements in life expectancy."
From the March 01, 2008 issue of Agent’s Sales Journal • Subscribe!
