Disparity in quality of life leads to different outcomes
Lewis DiuguidOne’s address in the Kansas City area has a profound effect on how long that individual is likely to live.
The life expectancy piece is not a surprising conclusion of a new Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation study out of the University of Washington. Some details were published today in The Star. Wyandotte County has the lowest life expectancy of 71.6 years for men, which is the equivalent of Poland, China and Libya.
Women in Wyandotte County living on average of 77.9 years are a match for Ecuador, Lithuania and Sri Lanka. But it is no wonder that Wyandotte County is the lowest. It also is the poorest county in the metropolitan area.
In Jackson County, life expectancies compare with Mexico’s and Uruguay’s with 73.9 years for men and 79.3 years for women. Johnson County, the area’s wealthiest, has life expectancies that are similar to those in Sweden and Switzerland at 79.3 years for men and 82.9 years for women.
But one’s address also affects the person’s safety, the quality of the food available, public transportation, the quality of education children receive and even job prospects because employers pick people based on where people live. Employment is the lynchpin, determining whether a person has a booster rocket income to carry a family into that higher orbit of a better quality of life and longevity.
Phil Cardarella
1 year, 1 month agoI suspect that if we broke this down by income level it would be more revealing. Folks in the wealthier suburbs probably share a longer life expectancy.
Odd ain’t it? The folks in our wealthiest ‘burbs live as long as those in Sweden — socialist & with universal healthcare!
George Hunsucker
Northland
1 year, 1 month agoAnd they do this WITHOUT your beloved 0’care phil… How can that possibly be??????
Kent Mueller
1 year, 1 month agoPhil. That didn’t make much sense. There is some sort of connection between Mission Hills life expectancy and Swedish life expectancy being the same and Sweden having universal health care and Mission Hills having not?
Additional insight, Phil. I know a blonde who lives in Mission Hills. Just the same type of blonde for which Sweden is known. I think there is an ironic, meaningful connection there, don’t you, Phil?
Matt McKinley
1 year, 1 month agoDoes the equation include all deaths, including murders? If so, what would be the lifespans of the residents in these areas if they weren’t being killed by their neighbors at the ages of 13 to 30?