Page 90 - South Mississippi Living - June, 2019

AVERAGE LIFE
story by Lynn Lofton
time for a change
STATE’S
EXPECTANCY
Sadly, Mississippi has
LOWEST IN U.S.
ranking health wise. The state has the lowest life expectancy in the U.S., according to an Associated Press analysis. On average, Mississippians live 74.9 years while the U.S. Average is 78.6 years. Hawaii has the highest life expectancy at 82 years.
of non-communicable diseases — primarily heart and lung disease, diabetes, hypertension and obesity — in the United States,” Dr. Mansour says. “The social determinants of health involve factors such as where a person lives, whether the area is conducive for a healthy lifestyle,
has easy access to medical care
and to a nutritional diet. The social determinants of health account for 20 percent of a person’s health over their lifetime.”
The two highest incidences of non- communicable diseases are heart disease and cancer, globally as well
as in Mississippi. The most recent ten-year data from the Mississippi Department of health shows a 19.5 percent decrease of death from cardiovascular disease in Mississippi compared to the national average of approximately 22 percent, according to Dr. Mansour, who is past chair of the American College of Cardiology Board of Governors.
another low national
Dr. Michael Mansour, president of the Mississippi State Medical Association, is not surprised at the state’s low ranking. “There
are many factors
that contribute
to Mississippi
ranking lowest in life
expectancy. But there are also many positive developments improving
the health of Mississippians,” he said. “Our statistics per capita have improved, but we have not improved in national rankings since
other states have improved at a faster pace. Many people around the state continue to work very hard on all of these areas and are making significant progress.”
He explains that 40 percent of a person’s health over their lifetime
is due to their individual behavior, such as tobacco and alcohol or other drug use. Mississippi ranks first in
the incidence of non- communicable diseases.
“Twenty-three percent of the population of our state
smokes cigarettes. Smoking is a major contributor to heart disease, strokes and lung disease,” he said.
The State Medical Association and other organizations annually
lobby the Legislature to pass the $1.50 per pack tax on cigarettes
but have so far been unsuccessful. “Smoking is estimated to increase healthcare costs in Mississippi by $1.2 billion dollars annually and the tax would save Mississippi Medicaid an estimated $365 million dollars annually in healthcare expenditures,” Dr. Mansour said.
Additionally, premature mortality is driven by a host of factors, including social determinants of health and individual behavior. “Mississippi
has the highest incidence per capita
90 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • June 2019
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