Lifestyle factors play a very important role in determining the longevity of your life span. The best way to find out the effects of lifestyle factors on your life expectancy is to calculate your life expectancy using a “three-way” equation. This can be done by asking yourself questions such as: how long do I live, how healthy do I look, and how financially comfortable am I? Lifestyle factors contribute to these three areas in different ways. You can improve your lifestyle in many ways by making simple changes to your life.
Risk factor analysis determines your lifestyle factors by looking at your medical history and comparing it with the patterns found in different groups of people. These patterns are called risk factors. Lifestyle factors include but are not limited to: diet, exercise, sex, weight, socioeconomic status, etc. Your risk factors for many diseases also include your genetic background. As you grow older, the numbers of these risk factors begin to increase among both younger and older people. For example, people who smoke, are drinkers, use illegal drugs, have low levels of self-esteem, have poor credit, are overweight or obese, and have high blood pressure are more likely to develop certain types of diseases at an older age.
Lifestyle Factors
One of the biggest contributors to your risk for certain types of diseases as you get older is being overweight or obese. Being overweight or obese is a risk factor for all kinds of diseases and premature death. Therefore, making healthy lifestyle choices such as eating the right foods, exercising, watching your weight, and avoiding certain lifestyle factors that can contribute to your illness can help extend your life. Making healthy lifestyle choices such as these can reduce your risk for several kinds of cancer as well. Therefore, making healthy lifestyle choices such as these can go a long way toward extending your life and living longer.
Another one of the lifestyle factors that has shown to be important in terms of mortality is your educational level. When you go to college, you often continue with the same lifestyle choices, which can keep you healthy. However, there is a difference in the rates of mortality among college students with different educational levels. Those with higher educational levels live longer than those with lower educational levels. Therefore, making smart lifestyle choices such as attending college, doing your homework, maintaining a regular school schedule, and monitoring your weight can go a long way toward extending your life.
Social Support Network
One of the lifestyle factors that is most consistently associated with improved survival is having a strong social support network. A social support network includes both friends and family members. When you live with someone, they are usually there to help you through tough times, guide you in your business ventures, give you advice on your personal life, and help you meet new people. As you develop stronger and deeper relationships with these people, you develop stronger and deeper ways of coping with health behaviors that can lead to greater longevity.
Important Aspects
One of the factors that have been shown to be important for longevity is the amount of leisure time activity. Research has shown that there are three key factors that can contribute to longevity: a healthy lifestyle, advanced age, and the amount of leisure time activity. These three factors are all modifiable risk factors. They can be changed to improve your odds of living a long and healthy life. A healthy lifestyle means having a balanced diet and an active lifestyle.
Modifiable risk factors that have been shown to improve your odds of living a long and healthy life are physical inactivity, smoking, and high blood pressure. Physical inactivity, smoking, and high blood pressure are modifiable risk factors because they can cause many diseases that can shorten your life. In addition, these lifestyle factors can also prevent diseases and shorten life.
Bottom Line
Researchers found that poor self-rated healthiness, especially for depression, loneliness, and stress, was one of the major causes of mortality risk. There were other factors that were stronger predictors of mortality risk. The risk of death was higher for those with low educational levels, poor financial security, a low social status, and unhealthy lifestyle factors. In addition, researchers found that there is a negative correlation between stress and longevity. The more stressed you are, the more likely you are to live a short life.