The Shocking Truth About Babies Born in the DC Area

WASHINGTON, DC — Babies born in Northern Virginia can be expected to live nice long lives, with a life expectancy soaring to 86 years of age. But travel just across the Potomac River, and anyone born there is likely to die a stunning eight years earlier.

That's the conclusion displayed in a new map put together by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University, which was released in an attempt to raise awareness of the factors that affect health -- especially social and economic factors, according to a statement from the university. And it creates a startling picture of babies born in the D.C. region: on one end of the Blue and Orange lines of the Metro rail system, babies can expect to live 86 years -- but in D.C. and Prince George's County in Maryland just a few stops down, that figure drops all the way down to 78 years.

That's not bad considering the average U.S. life expectancy is 79 years, but it shows a startling gap in the health and wellness of people who live in the same region but grow up in profoundly different circumstances.

"Health differences between neighborhoods are rarely due to a single cause," the statement reads. "A growing body of research shows that a complex web of factors influences health—opportunities for education and jobs, safe and affordable housing, availability of nutritious food and places for physical activity, clean air, and access to health care, child care, and social services. Other maps have shown differences of up to 20 years for babies born just a few miles apart in places like Richmond and Philadelphia."

VCU researchers say they hope their data acts as a "conversation starter" for people to talk about health, and how there is more to it than simply caring for people who are sick.

“To build a Culture of Health we must build a society where everyone, no matter where they live, the color of their skin, their financial or family situation, has the opportunity to lead a productive, healthy life,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). “There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Each community must chart its own course, and every person has a role to play in achieving better health in their homes, their communities, their schools and their workplaces.”

Image via Wikimedia user Evan-Amos