Study: How Long Do People Live in Douglasville? (ICYMI)

By Patch Staff

If you believe a recent study on quality of life, residents in Douglasville and the rest of Georgia’s 13th Congressional District live longer than most communities in the state, but trail behind the national average.

At 78.3 years, the district is ranked sixth out of 14 districts in the state in life expectancy, according to the study published last week.

The study, called Geographies of Opportunity, was published by the Social Science Research Council, as part of its ongoing effort to track disparities in quality of life across America.

According to the study, the average life expectancy in the United States is now 79.1 years, an increase of almost four years over life expectancy in 1990. But according to the researchers, some Americans, especially African Americans and some Southerners, have seen far less of an increase. A few parts of the South have seen no increase at all.

The longest life expectancy in the U.S. is in California’s 19th Congressional district, which includes San Jose and part of Santa Clara County, where people live 83.9 years on average, or roughly as long as people in Japan.

The lowest life expectancy is in rural southeastern Kentucky, where people live just under 73 years, or about as long as residents of the Gaza Strip.

In Georgia, only three districts (7th, 4th and 11th) ranked above the national average. The 7th District led the state at 81.1 years.

The 13th, which includes Douglas County, was tied with the 9th District at 78.3 years.

The study’s authors say a variety of factors affect life expectancy, from access to health insurance to race and employment opportunities. But the study also lists four factors it dubs the “fatal four,” which can shorten lifespan dramatically: smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise and alcohol abuse.

Image from Geographies of Opportunity, The Social Science Research Council, Sarah Burd-Sharps and Kristen Lewis.