Life Expectancy in the US is unequal between regions

PLos Medicine has an interesting article on Life expectancy from birth in the US using mortality data at the county level. We all know that life expectancy has been increasing since 1960 (7yrs for men, 6 yrs for women) but what they find is that this is not always the case. If you look at the figure below you see that on average life expectancy increased from 1961-1983 nationwide but from 1983-1999 you see a steep decline (primarily in women) in the worst-off counties. The authors find that this result is due to halt in the reduction of cardiovascular disease, and a rise in lung cancer, COPD, and diabetes in both sexes along with an increase HIV/AIDS and homicide in men.

Counties are categorized into six groups on the basis of how their life expectancy changed in relation to national sex-specific change in life expectancy (4.1 y for men and 4.8 y for women in 1961–1983; 3.1 y for men and 1.3 y for women in 1983–1999). Actual life expectancies are shown in Figure S1, and absolute changes in life expectancy are shown in Figure S2.

Group 1, life expectancy increased at a level significantly higher than the national sex-specific mean; group 2, life expectancy increased at a level significantly higher than zero but not significantly distinguishable from the national sex-specific mean; group 3, life expectancy increased at a level significantly higher than zero but significantly less than the national sex-specific mean; group 4, life expectancy change was statistically indistinguishable from zero and from the national sex-specific mean; group 5, life expectancy change was statistically indistinguishable from zero and was significantly less than the national sex-specific mean; group 6, life expectancy had a statistically significant decline. All statistical significance was assessed at 90%.