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In 8 Kentucky counties, children died younger than their parents

An old sign was stored next to a building in Booneville, Owsley County in 2012. (The Atlantic)
An old sign was stored next to a building in Booneville, Owsley County in 2012. (The Atlantic)

Although the trend in the United States in recent years is for children to live longer than their parents, a recent study in the journal JAMA: Internal Medicine found the reverse for several areas.

The majority of the 13 counties in the United States where children can expect to die younger than their parents are located in Kentucky. The Kentucky counties with the largest decreases in life expectancy between 1980 to 2014 were: Owsley, Lee, Leslie, Breathitt, Clay, Powell, Estill and Perry.

The authors of the study indicate the lower life expectancies were primarily in poorer communities. A number of health disparities such as education and unemployment were factors, along with health issues like obesity, physical inactivity, hypertension, smoking and diabetes. An article in The Atlantic explains the findings specific to Kentucky.