State's life expectancy below the national average

Life expectancy for Tulsa County residents is slightly better than the state average but 2 1/2 years below the national average.

That's according to a newly released report by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

The average life expectancy for men in Tulsa County is 73.3 years and for women, 78.2 years. For men statewide in Oklahoma it is 72.8 years and for women, 77.9.

By comparison, national average life expectancy is 75.8 for men and 80.8 for women. Oklahoma has some catching-up to do.

There are a number of factors involved in determining life expectancy, but a key element is risk factors for leading causes of death.

In Oklahoma, the leading causes of death are heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic respiratory disease, which are related to smoking, obesity and lack of exercise or physical activity. Oklahoma has higher than average rates of smoking and is below average in physical activity.

The fact that Oklahoma's leading causes of death are related to smoking, obesity and lack of exercise means that to a certain extent those deaths are preventable. If we Oklahomans would stop smoking, lose weight and exercise more, we would have a healthier state and our life expectancy would improve.

These issues are hardly a secret, certainly not to health experts but also not to many rank-and-file citizens.

Correcting our unhealthy lifestyles, however, is easier said than done, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't keep trying.