DATE: Friday, September 12, 1997            TAG: 9709120592

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A12  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: LOS ANGELES TIMES 

DATELINE: WASHINGTON                        LENGTH:   46 lines

LIFE EXPECTANCY UP, INFANT DEATHS DOWN, DATA SHOW

The vital signs for U.S. health were stronger than ever last year, with life expectancy hitting an all-time high, infant mortality dropping to record low rates, and AIDS-related deaths, homicides, suicides and births by teen-agers all declining, federal health officials reported Thursday.

In a remarkably upbeat assessment of the country's overall health, the government said that in 1996, Americans were living longer - an overall average of 76.1 years, up from 75.8 years in 1995.

Also, infant mortality reached a new low of 7.2 deaths per 1,000 live births. Health officials said that a 15 percent drop in deaths from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome was the reason for much of the decline.

Confirming the impact of the use of drug combinations in treating AIDS, the disease has shed its designation as the leading killer of adults between the ages of 25-44. It now ranks second, after accidents, as the cause of death among this group.

Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala described the annual report as ``a wealth of good news,'' adding that she was especially encouraged by the progress in treating AIDS.

Dr. David Satcher, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - who is to be nominated by President Clinton today for surgeon general - attributed the gains on several health fronts to education and prevention programs. He said these efforts ``are paying real dividends,'' and predicted that the health picture would continue to improve.

But the news was not all good.

Despite overall reductions in homicide and suicide rates, they still remained the second and third leading causes of death, respectively, among youths ages 15-24. There also was a slight increase in the number of low birth-weight babies born in 1996.

Also, although it has narrowed, a discouraging gap continues to exist between the races. In life expectancy, for example, black males were living an average of 66.1 years, compared to 73.8 years for white males.

And while both racial groups recorded declines in infant mortality, whites experienced 6 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to more than twice that, 14.2, among blacks.

Women, meanwhile, were still living an average of six years longer than men. Life expectancy for white women was 79.6 years in 1996, while black women were living 74.2 years.

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