NYC women live longer than men

From the Times Ledger:

New York City men die an average of six years earlier than women, many of them because of what health officials call preventable causes including poor diet, smoking, lack of health care and homicide.

A city Department of Health report said life spans are lengthening for both sexes but that men live to an average of 76 years as compared with 82 for women.

“A number of complex factors contribute to a shorter life expectancy and higher premature death rate for men, including health behavior, the social and physical environment and health-care access and quality,” the report said.

In the 35 to 64 age group, 1 million men, or 46 percent, were overweight and 25 percent were obese, the report said.

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death after age 75 among both men and women,” the report said. “Before that age, however, causes differ greatly by sex.”

“Homicide is by far the most common cause of death for men between 18 and 34, accounting for twice as many deaths as accidents,” the report said.

The Health Department said that while death rates for cancer are comparable among men and women 35 to 64, deaths from heart diseases are twice as common among men.