The life expectancy in most counties in the U.S. lags substantially behind those in the nations with the best life expectancy, according to a new report. In some counties, the life expectancy is similar to that in much less developed countries, the researchers found. ''It is a wake-up call for all of us,” says researcher Ali Mokdad, PhD, professor of global health at the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Seattle. ''Americans have higher risk factors and are paying for those in lower life expectancy than in similar countries,” he tells WebMD. “We are left behind and everyone else is moving forward. For the U.S., it is alarming.”
