Politics & Government
New Yorkers Life Expectancy Rises to 80.9 Years
Bloomberg credits city health initiatives for increase.
The average life expectancy for a baby born in New York City in 2010 is now 80.9 years, three years longer than when Mayor Michael Bloomberg first took office, according to the New York Post.
The news comes on the heels of a study that revealed that obesity rates among children in some major cities, including New York, have gone down over the last five years. The study was written up this week in the New York Times.
The national average is 78.7 years, and Bloomberg credits a longer life in NYC to his health policies such as smoking bans and curbing oversized sodas.
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City Councilman James Gennaro, whose district covers parts of Forest Hills and Kew Gardens, said the increased life-expectancy should be an inspiration to other municipalities across the country.
“Today’s release of statistics on longevity confirms what I have always believed: Mayor Bloomberg’s dynamic public health initiatives and world-class environmental sustainability blueprint are a great boon to New Yorkers and a beacon to other cities on the journey to improved public health and urban environmental sustainability,” Gennaro said in a statement.