The Journal of the American Medical Association recently released a paper on life expectancy, which revealed the top 10 cities in the U.S. with the longest life spans. Does longevity have any correlation to their location? What factors affect a person's lifespan?
In a recent study conducted and published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, it has been revealed that residents of Santa Barbara, California had the longest average lifespan, reports Realtor.com. According to the publication, residents of the said city lived to an average of 84.4 years.
The city was then followed by Portland, ME at 84.3 years; Spokane, WA at 84.2; Eugene, OR at 84; and Santa Rosa, CA at 83.9 years. Salt Lake City, UT; Madison, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Grand Rapids, MI; and Providence, RI complete the top 10.
Access to better health care was initially cited as one of the possible reasons for longer life spans of residents coming from these areas. However, one of the authors of the report, Raj Chetty from Stanford University, said otherwise.
"It's much more associated with healthy behaviors ... [such as] less smoking, higher rates of exercise, and lower obesity," said Chetty.
Apparently, wealth also seems to play a role in better health maintenance and therefore, longer life span. According to Chetty, those who are wealthy and better-educated can help promote better lifestyle choices for the entire community.
"Smoking bans and bans of trans fat affect the health of the entire population," he added.
However, this does not mean that residents should immediately choose to move to the above-mentioned cities. Longevity expert Alexis Abramson said that the key to living long and healthy is keeping a healthy balance between life and work.
Realty Today previously reported on the top 10 cities with the happiest workers because of better pay and the provision of work-life balance. A healthy diet and regular exercise are also key factors to having longer and better lives.
