Residents in Glenville Can Expect to Die a Lot Sooner Than Residents in Lyndhurst

Research by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center on Society and Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation mapping life expectancy in U.S. cities shows that residents in the Cleveland neighborhood of Glenville have an average life expectancy of 70.  Babies born down the street in Lyndhurst typically live to be 82 years old. 

That enormous disparity, in communities about eight miles apart, is driven largely by economic factors.

Low educational attainment and job scarcity, unsafe housing, unhealthy food, and limited opportunities for physical exercise all contribute to shorter life spans. Additionally, limited access to medical facilities exacerbates existing problems.

“Unreliable and expensive public transit” isolates many residents from adequate jobs and social services too.  

“To build a Culture of Health—where every person, no matter where they live, has an equal opportunity to live the healthiest life possible,” the study said, “we must improve people’s opportunities to be healthier in the places where they live, learn, work and play.”

On the healthy foods and social services front, the East Side Market, currently undergoing a $3.5 million renovation, will open as the neighborhood’s first grocery store. Glenville has been categorized as a food desert for its lack of access to nutritious foods. 
 

This article appears in Jun 15-21, 2016.