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Places with lots of fast food have shorter life expectancy - Futurity
American communities with more fast food restaurants, a larger share of extraction industry-based jobs, or higher population density have shorter life expectancies, according to new research.
While lifestyle choices and genetics go a long way toward predicting longevity, the new study shows that certain community characteristics also play important roles.
The findings can help communities identify and implement changes that may promote longer lifespans among their residents.
“American life expectancy recently declined for the first time in decades, and we wanted to explore the factors contributing to this decline. Because of regional variation in life expectancy, we knew community-level factors must matter,” says lead author Elizabeth Dobis, a postdoctoral scholar at the Penn State-based Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD).
American communities with more fast food restaurants, a larger share of extraction industry-based jobs, or higher population density have shorter life expectancies, according to new research.
While lifestyle choices and genetics go a long way toward predicting longevity, the new study shows that certain community characteristics also play important roles.
The findings can help communities identify and implement changes that may promote longer lifespans among their residents.
“American life expectancy recently declined for the first time in decades, and we wanted to explore the factors contributing to this decline. Because of regional variation in life expectancy, we knew community-level factors must matter,” says lead author Elizabeth Dobis, a postdoctoral scholar at the Penn State-based Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD).