Life Expectancy

Defined as…

• The average length of survival of a living thing

Great Variations in Life Expectancy• Many are caused by differences in Public

Health, Medicine, and Nutrition

Who are some of the oldest?• Cruz Hernandez March 1978-March 2007– 128 years old, oldest recorded person in history

• Jeanne Calment- February 1875- August 1997– 122 years old, from France

• In looking at this webpage, what do you see?– What countries are they from?– Are they male or female?

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_verified_oldest_people

Women vs. Men

• With a partner, brainstorm reasons females have a higher life expectancy

– Men consume more_________, alcohol, drugs, commit suicide, more ________(accidents), take more risks, war

• http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/

#1 Cause of Death in USA

• Heart Disease now surpasses Cancer as #1 cause of death– New cancer drugs prolong life

• Rise of Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes & Heart Disease

Why do men get more heart attacks than women?

• Men store Fat in different areas– Men store fat closer to_________• Heart, stomach area• Thus more Heart Attacks

– Women store fat lower• ______________________

Americans: when, how, what, & why of eating

• When: Traditions- we eat our main meal at dinner, vs. other countries, ______ main meal at lunch, vs. _________main meal at breakfast

• Food stored as fat, Americans don’t exercises after dinner

• What: Americans eat more processed and chemically altered foods

• Greater access to fast food establishments– Average American eats out at least __times a week

• How many times a week do you eat out?• What is your favorite restaurant?– Sit down vs. fast food

• How: We eat _____per sitting than anyone else in the world– Portion of food per meal is alarming– Ex. McDonalds- ‘Biggie Size’– A small U.S. drink = large drink in France

• Why: our working hours do not compare to other countries

• We are more stressed = tend to eat more food per sitting

• Choice of food tends to be of little nutritional value

Factors that Contribute to LE

• Genetic: having a genetic predisposition to a disease or illness– Parents influence, Grandparents influence– True Story…

• Lifestyle: factors that can be controlled by you– ___________, alcohol consumption, drug

use/abuse, eating habits,_____________, driving, stress, unprotected sex

• Medical Care: Lack of health insurance = not getting regular checkups– Without health care/checkups= many cancers &

health disease go undiagnosed.– Screening for cancers including- breast, skin,

prostate cancers– Heart disease screening- EKG

• Environmental: exposure to air pollution, water quality, pesticides, preservatives, growth hormone, chemicals in food.