Geographic location has a significant impact on your likelihood of reaching 100 years of age, according to a study by an international team of scientists based on mortality data. Of course, good genes play a role in life expectancy, but many environmental factors are known to affect their work. The results suggest that Washington, USA residents living in walking areas are more likely to reach 100 years of age. The authors note that the work adds new evidence to a growing body of evidence that social and environmental factors contribute significantly to longevity.
Home and life expectancy
Studying life expectancy by county allows scientists to track geographic differences over time and assess contributing factors. These differences are mainly associated with a combination of socio-economic, racial-ethnic and behavioral factors, as well as health factors. The new study looked at government-provided deaths for nearly 145,000 Washington residents aged 75 and over between 2011 and 2015.
The data included information on age, place of residence at the time of death, gender, race, education and military service. The results of a study by the EPA and other sources were also used to assign scores to various variables for poverty, access to health care, quality food, clean air, etc. based on residential data. Based on the data obtained, it was found that a comfortable environment, the ability to walk near the house, a higher socio-economic status and a high percentage of the working-age population in the area of residence are positively correlated with reaching the age of 100.
Walking in parks makes people happy and helps to improve their health.
According to the Science Daily portal, the results of the study showed that living in areas with a mixed age population is beneficial for everyone. Comfortable environments, landscaped and walkable areas make exercise more accessible to older people and facilitate their access to health care and grocery stores. The authors of the work note that areas in which representatives of all age groups live, as a rule, contribute to less isolation and greater public support for older people.
Additional analysis showed that geographic areas with a high probability of reaching 100 years of age are located in metropolitan areas and small cities with high socio-economic status, including Seattle and Pulman.
The authors of the study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research, believe more research will be needed for more extensive conclusions. At the same time, scientists hope that their work will ultimately form the basis for building healthier communities that will help improve the life expectancy and quality of life of older people.
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What are the "blue zones" of the planet?
For the first time, the geographical concept of the "Blue zone" was described by the American traveler Dan Buettner in his article "Secrets of Long Life" in 2005 for National Geographic magazine. Today, the blue zone refers to the areas with the highest longevity rates in the world. There are five such zones in the world, and they all have a number of common characteristics. The most famous blue zone on Earth is located on the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean Sea, which is part of Italy as an autonomous region of Sardinia. More than 22 people over 100 live there. The island has a dry subtropical (Mediterranean) climate, the average temperature in January is 7-10 ° C, in July 24-26 ° C. Scientists have been looking for scientific evidence for the phenomenon of life expectancy on the island for decades.
The Greek island of Ikaria looks like this.
According to USA Today, according to previous studies, the city of Seulo in Sardinia, in which the largest number and increase in centenarians, is remote from the rest of the world and has a small gene pool. However, the reason why genes allow the islanders to live so long remains unknown. It is noteworthy that documented and verified data on centenarians in Seulo dates back to the 19th century.
Other Blue Zones of the planet include the Japanese island of Okinawa, whose inhabitants consume a lot of vegetables and little meat, and also exercise daily; the island of Ikari in Greece, which has the largest percentage of residents over 90; the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, in which the locals consider the consumption of fruits and vegetables, especially oranges, the secret of longevity; Loma Linda, California, USA, home to a large Seventh-day Adventist community. They gave up cigarettes, alcohol, coffee and fatty foods. What factors do you think contribute to longevity?
