Why Are Americans in One Region Dying Years Earlier Than Rest of Country?

Southerners have a lower life expectancy than people living in other U.S. states, which experts attribute to several possible factors.

Several studies have shown that Americans in some areas of the Southern U.S. often have lower life expectancy and poorer overall health than those who live in other regions of the country. Analysts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that factors such as a lack of quality healthcare, lower medical insurance access and unhealthy habits may be contributing to poor health among some Southern Americans.

Lower life expectancy in some Southern parts of the country may result from higher chronic disease rates and rural hospital closures, according to a spokesperson for the Lifespan Research Institute (LRI), a nonprofit group which focuses on “strategically driving forward science to extend healthy human lifespan.”

“There is no single explanation,” the LRI spokesperson told the DCNF. “In many Southern states, lower life expectancy appears to