This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

New Yorkers Live Longer Than Rest of Nation, Study Finds

New York City dwellers have a higher life expectancy than the rest of the nation, study finds.

New Yorkers are living longer than ever, now with an all-time high life expectancy of 80.6 years, according to a study released today by Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Linda Gibbs and Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley.

According to the study, babies born in New York City in 2009 have the record high life expectancy of 80.6 years, an increase of nearly three years since 2000 and nearly two and a half years more than the most recently reported national rate of 78.2 years.

In addition, life expectancy for 40-year-olds in New York City increased by 2.5 years (79.5 to 82) from 2000 to 2009, a bigger gain than the 1.2 year increase for the same age group in nation as a whole.

Find out what's happening in Fort Greene-Clinton Hillwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Life expectancy for 70 year-olds in New York City increased 1.5 years, compared with .7 years for the nation.

The City credits smoking prevention programs and expanded HIV, heart disease and cancer testing and treatment as contributing factors (but maybe it’s also all of the walking we city dwellers do?)

Find out what's happening in Fort Greene-Clinton Hillwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“New York City residents are healthier than ever,” Deputy Mayor Gibbs said, in a prepared statement. “Cleaner air, safer streets, healthier food – these all contribute to improved quality of our lives, and added years of life.”

To draw these conclusions, the Health Department analyzed data from death certificates, determining that improvements in prevention and treatment for HIV, cancer and heart disease, as well as anti-drug and smoking programs, contributed the most to the increase in life expectancy.

The Annual Summary of Vital Statistics, the Health Department’s yearly report of births and deaths in New York City, is compiled by the agency’s Bureau of Vital Statistics. The most up-to-date statistics are available to the public by searching for “2010 Vital Statistics” on nyc.gov.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Fort Greene-Clinton Hill