The average life expectancy in the Dominican Republic upon birth is 73.7 years, compared to 72.94 for the Latin American and Caribbean region. The Global Burden of Disease: Generating Evidence, Guiding Policy by the World Bank and the The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) establishes that Costa Rica is the regional country where people live the longest, and the Dominican Republic’s neighbor, Haiti, is the country with the lowest life expectancy, at just 38 years.
The report says that the challenges that affect Dominicans are bad nutrition habits, smoking, lack of physical activity, consumption of alcohol and pharmaceuticals, traffic accidents and occupational risks such as environmental and air pollution. Dominicans are also at high risk for blood hypertension, diabetes, iron deficiency, high cholesterol, lead poisoning and maternal breastfeeding habits below the average.
http://hoy.com.do/el-pais/2013/9/5/497273/Dominicanos-viven-mas-anos-enferman-por-culpa-de-habitos