Report Says Texans Have a Pretty Short Life Expectancy. But Why?

A report from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, or the CDC, announced that natives of Texas can expect to live shorter lives.

This just isn't one of those reports you want to hear about. After decades of seeing an increase in the average life expectancy for people all over the nation, and in Texas specifically, a new report reveals that we're going in the wrong direction.

Granted, we all know there are certain lifestyle habits that people engage in that can play a huge role in life expectancy, for better or worse.

According to this National Vital Statistics Report, "average life expectancy in Texas is now 76.5 years, which is below the national average of 78.8 years, according to an article by KXAN out of Austin, Texas.

The figures that actually came from 2020 prompted a confirmation from the CDC that this report shows we're seeing the largest decrease in life expectancy for Texans in 75 years. And how does the CDC calculate this? The CDC says they study Medicare data, the overall number of deaths, and the basic U.S. Census data to come to their conclusions.

So what are the causes that have reportedly led to the drop in life expectancy for Texans, according to the CDC?

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I bet you won't be too surprised to hear that the Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on average life expectancy.

While heart disease is still the number one cause of death in Texas, and cancer comes in at number two, Covid-19 occupies the number three position.

Of course, for many living in Texas, the time of Covid seems to have passed for the most part. However, with the new variants we're hearing about, many still have some concerns regarding both the short-term and long-term effects.

Again, if you'd like to take a look at the article we're referring to, you can see it via the link above.

EDIT: This story was Originally published Jan 2023