Perils Of Being Born Black

No barometer of a nation's health is more closely watched than life expectancy. Since the turn of the century, when record keeping began, the U.S. trend has been upward for all segments of the population. Life expectancy for whites has risen from 48 years in 1900 to more than 75 today. Blacks have fared even better, more than doubling the number of years they could expect to live, from 33 to nearly 70. Now, however, an alarming change is taking place. While life expectancy for whites is still climbing, it is dropping for blacks.

That was confirmed by figures released last week by the National Center for Health Statistics. Blacks on average can expect to reach only 69.2 years, down from 69.7 in 1984. Meanwhile, life expectancy for whites has moved from 75.3 years to 75.6. The latest figures are based on an examination of all death certificates (2,167,999) filed in the U.S. in 1988.

The reversal for blacks seems to stem mainly from a large increase in the number of early deaths caused by homicides, car accidents, drug abuse and AIDS -- factors that relate directly to the perils of living in poor, violent neighborhoods. Other socioeconomic problems, including second-rate education and inadequate access to doctors and hospitals, also hold down the life expectancy of blacks and widen the gap between the races. Largely because of poor prenatal care, infant mortality among blacks is twice as high as among whites.

But the difference in life expectancy cannot be blamed completely on poverty and discrimination. Blacks have higher death rates from many ailments, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, liver trouble and kidney failure. This fact has persuaded experts that there must be other reasons, including genetic makeup, diet preferences and life-style choices, that make many African Americans prone to die too young.

CHART: NOT AVAILABLE

CREDIT: TIME Chart

CAPTION: GROWING GAP

Life expectancy at birth