articleObstetrical & Gynecological SurveyJul 1, 2005Closed access

A Potential Decline in Life Expectancy in the United States in the 21st Century

University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center · University of California, San Francisco · +4 more institutions

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Abstract

Estimates of future life expectancy strongly influence public policy on age-based entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Although recent estimates of how long Americans will live in this century have predicted an increase, the authors believe that current trends in obesity in the United States may end the slow but steady increase in life expectancy that has taken place in the past 2 centuries. In the past 3 decades, the rise in life expectancy at birth has decelerated in the context of historical trends. Recent exploration by experts, including mathematical demographers, predicts a more rapid rate of increase in life expectancy for the U.S. population than has been anticipated. At present,…

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Authors

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Topics & keywords

Keywords
  • Life expectancy
  • Medicine
  • Overweight
  • Demography
  • Obesity
  • Population
  • Gerontology
  • Context (archaeology)
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Good health and well-being
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