PLN 22 - US Life Expectancy Experiences Slight Dip

The CBS News HealthWatch article, "US Life Expectancy Experiences Slight Dip" talked about how the average life expectancy for a US citizen has dropped by amount a month.  Arialdi Minino, the author of the preliminary 2008 report, said the drop in life expectancy was very small and worked out to be about one tenth of a year.  Minino also said that it would be very difficult to determine if this drop will be the beginning of a trend in lower life expectancies.  The 2008 report showed a drop for both men and women.  The report says that a baby born in 2008 can expect to live to 77.8 years of age if the current trend continues. This is down from the 2007 number of 77.9.  They are not sure what is causing the decline and may not know for some years.  The report is created by combining data from all of the death certificates in 2008. A final report will be released later.  This article matters to me because it makes me wonder what might be causing Americans to live shorter lives.  A tenth of a year doesn't seem like a lot of time, but if this starts a trend could mean I won't live as long as my parents.  This article matters to education because many students will be interested in learning why this is happening and get involved so they can maybe stop it.  This matters to the world because this could be a wake-up call that we need to take better care of ourselves if we want to live longer lives.