Where you live can have a significant impact on whether you live long and reach a ripe old age. A new study puts forward this theory. Additionally, the new research suggests that people who live in walkable, mixed-age communities may be able to celebrate their 100th birthday.to celebrate birthdaycould.
How can people live long?
When it comes to staying alive until the age of 100, good genes usually help. However, these are not the main requirement for this. The living environment also plays a crucial role. Scientists at the Medical University of Washington have conducted a study on this matter. They also found that socioeconomic status correlates with this. Additional analysis found that geographic clusters with a high probability of reaching centenarian age were located in urban areas and smaller cities with higher socioeconomic status. Additionally, the research adds to growing evidence that social and environmental factors could make a significant difference in longevity and life expectancy.
Previous research has estimated that heritable factors explain only about 20 to 35% of an individual's chances of reaching centenarian age. Furthermore, susceptibility to various diseases can change through behavior based on the individual's genetics. In other words, living in an environment that supports healthy aging will likely impact your ability to successfully exceed your genetic odds through lifestyle changes. However, there has been a gap in knowledge about the exact environmental and social factors that lead to such an environment. For this reason, in the study the researchers try to explain why people can live long.
Study results
The data included information about each person's age and location at the time of death. There was also data on gender, race, education level and marital status. Based on where the person lived, the researchers used data from a variety of sources. This allowed them to assign a value or rating to various neighborhood variables. These variables included poverty level, access to transportation and basic services, walkability, percentage of working-age population, air pollution, and green space exposure. They then conducted a survival analysis. Thus, they wanted to determine which demographic factors were associated with a lower probability of dying before the age of 100.
They found that neighborhood walkability, higher socioeconomic status, and a high percentage of the working-age population were positively correlated with achieving centenarian status. Although more research is needed, the study results can ultimately be used to create healthier communities that promote longevity in older adults. An interactive map of the so-called “blue zones”, areas of high prevalence, calculates as a percentage all deaths of people aged 75 and over. This is in the Laboratory of Health and Spatial Epidemiology and on theUniversity websiteavailable. It also contains a brief summary of theStudy.
