Essay on Life Expectancy and Health Indicators Guide
Three indicators in 350-700 words means the charts carry the numbers and the prose explains the gaps — so the axis choices are part of the argument.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 9, 2026
Three indicators, seven hundred words
The word count is the constraint that decides everything else here. Three indicators, several states, both genders, and 350 to 700 words of discussion — which at the lower bound is barely a hundred words per indicator. That rules out defining each indicator at length and rules out narrating how you found the data. It also means the graphs are not decoration: they are where the numbers live, so the prose can stop reporting figures and start explaining them. Plan the split before drafting — a short introduction naming the states, roughly equal sections for life expectancy, infant mortality and subjective well-being, and a conclusion that reviews rather than introduces. The brief supplies that structure explicitly in its outline, so treat it as the required shape of the paper rather than as a suggestion you can improve on.
Each indicator needs a definition, and the definitions are not interchangeable even though students often write them as if they were. Life expectancy at birth is a period measure — it describes what would happen to a hypothetical cohort experiencing today's death rates, not a prediction about anyone alive. Infant mortality is deaths under one year per thousand live births, which makes it a rate with a denominator worth stating. Subjective well-being is self-reported and therefore measures something categorically different from the other two: it comes from survey instruments, and which instrument was used changes the number. Say that difference once, briefly, because it is the reason the three indicators can disagree with each other for the same state. Defining each one in a sentence also protects the analysis later, since a difference between two states means nothing until the reader knows what is being measured.
The graphs carry a specific requirement that the brief states twice, so treat it as a scored item: axes labelled, and a key. Beyond compliance, the design choice that matters is comparability. If life expectancy is plotted with the y-axis starting at 74 and infant mortality with the y-axis starting at zero, the first chart will make a one-year gap look enormous and the second will make a real disparity look flat. Decide deliberately whether you are showing magnitude or difference, and be consistent across the three charts. Gender is a grouping variable in two of the three indicators, so grouped bars usually read better than separate charts. Label the source and the year on each chart as well, because indicator values move and an unlabelled figure is one a marker cannot check.
The analytical work sits in one line of the brief — consider what factors may contribute to the differences found in your results — and that is where the marks are. Do not attribute a gap to "lifestyle" or "culture" and stop. The differences between states in these three indicators track things that are measurable and documented: income and poverty concentration, educational attainment, insurance coverage and access to prenatal care, rurality and distance to hospital services, and the historical and structural factors behind racial disparities in infant mortality. Pick two or three of these, name them, and connect each to the specific gap your data shows rather than to health disparities in general. The gender gap in life expectancy deserves its own sentence too, because it is present in every state and therefore explains none of the between-state variation your charts are about.
Where you get the numbers matters more than the assignment says out loud. National vital statistics, the CDC's state-level data, and the census are the defensible sources for life expectancy and infant mortality; subjective well-being comes from survey programmes and you should name which one. Use the same year for all three indicators across all states, because a comparison built from figures pulled from different years is not a comparison. Record the retrieval details as you go, since the brief requires a works cited page and reconstructing a data source afterwards is far more work than noting it at the time. The instruction that sources cannot come from Wikipedia is worth reading as a floor rather than a ceiling — an encyclopaedia summary of a statistic is not the statistic, and citing the agency that publishes it is both easier to defend and easier to update.
Two mechanical points the brief is explicit about and students still lose marks on. The submission is a Word document, not a PowerPoint — which matters because the visual representation has to be embedded in the document rather than delivered as slides. And it needs a title, a works cited page and double spacing, so the formatting is being marked alongside the content. The final line of the brief notes that the visual representation is one team member's portion; if that is your role, the discussion still has to stand as prose around your charts, so agree with the team which states each of you covers before anyone starts plotting. Check the word count against the discussion only, since a 700-word ceiling that includes the title page and references leaves far less analysis than the brief intends.
Element | The version that loses marks | The version that scores |
|---|---|---|
Indicator definitions | Three sentences that could describe any statistic | Period measure, rate, and self-report distinguished |
Chart axes | Unlabelled, no key | Labelled axes, key, source and year |
Axis scaling | Whatever the software chose | Chosen deliberately and consistent across charts |
Gender | A separate chart per gender | Grouped so the comparison is visible |
Explaining differences | 'Lifestyle and culture' | Income, education, access, rurality — named and linked |
Racial disparity | Mentioned as a fact | Connected to the specific infant mortality gap shown |
Data years | Whatever each source had | One year across all indicators and states |
Format | A slide deck | A Word document with title, references and double spacing |
Likely learning objectives
Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.
- 01Define three health indicators precisely enough to explain why they diverge.
- 02Present comparative data so the chart supports the argument rather than repeating it.
- 03Attribute between-state differences to documented structural factors.
- 04Assemble comparable data from named statistical agencies.
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question
Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. 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I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course! 29797 You can find new Free Android Games and apps.
What the submission must contain
- 01A 350-700 word discussion in a Word document.
- 02Definitions and figures for life expectancy, infant mortality and subjective well-being.
- 03Figures broken down by state and by gender.
- 04Labelled graphs with axis titles and a key.
- 05An explanation of what contributes to the differences found.
- 06A title page, double spacing and a works cited page.
From the states to the conclusion
Introduction and scope
Name the states covered and preview the three indicators.
Life expectancy
Define, present the chart, and explain the state differences.
Infant mortality
Define as a rate, chart it, and connect gaps to documented factors.
Subjective well-being
Name the instrument and show where it agrees or disagrees with the other two.
Conclusion
Review the main points and summarise the results across indicators.
One year, one source per indicator
Recommended databases
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics
- PubMed Central
- United States Census Bureau
- National survey programmes for well-being
Search sequence
- 1.Pull life expectancy and infant mortality for the chosen states from one vital statistics release, so every figure shares a year and a method.
- 2.Identify which survey supplies your subjective well-being figures and note the instrument, because the number is meaningless without it.
- 3.Find peer-reviewed work on what drives state-level variation in longevity, so the explanation section rests on evidence rather than assertion.
- 4.Search specifically for the literature on racial disparities in infant mortality, which is the best-documented driver of the gaps the charts will show.
Longevity, infant mortality and structural factors
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.
- 01
The geography of American longevity: structural determinants of a 20-year life expectancy divide
Frontiers in Public Health · 2026
Gives the explanation section named structural determinants behind geographic differences in life expectancy, which is exactly what replaces a vague appeal to lifestyle.
- 02
State-Level Progress in Reducing the Black-White Infant Mortality Gap, United States, 1999-2013
American Journal of Public Health · 2017
State-level analysis of the infant mortality gap, which matches the unit of comparison the assignment uses and supplies evidence that some states have narrowed it.
- 03
A Review of Racial Disparities in Infant Mortality in the US
Children · 2022
A review of the documented contributors to infant mortality disparities, useful for attributing a specific gap rather than gesturing at disparity in general.
- 04
Health and Social Conditions of the Poorest Versus Wealthiest Counties in the United States
American Journal of Public Health · 2017
Links income and social conditions to health outcomes at a sub-state level, which supports the argument that state averages conceal concentrated disadvantage.
Before the essay is submitted
Common mistakes
- Spending the word count on definitions and leaving no room for explanation.
- Treating life expectancy as a prediction about individuals.
- Reporting infant mortality without stating the denominator.
- Ignoring that subjective well-being is instrument-dependent.
- Producing charts with unlabelled axes or no key.
- Letting the software choose axis ranges, so gaps are exaggerated or hidden.
- Attributing state differences to lifestyle or culture and stopping there.
- Using the universal gender gap to explain between-state variation.
- Mixing data years across indicators or states.
- Submitting slides when the brief requires a Word document.
- Citing an encyclopaedia summary rather than the agency that publishes the figure.
Submission checklist
- Each indicator is defined in a sentence.
- The difference between measured and self-reported indicators is stated.
- All three charts have labelled axes and a key.
- Axis scaling is consistent and deliberate.
- Gender appears as a grouping within the charts.
- Two or three named structural factors explain the observed gaps.
- All figures come from the same year.
- Every data source is cited and none is Wikipedia.
- The discussion is 350-700 words excluding title and references.
- The submission is a double-spaced Word document with a works cited page.
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Written by
Aaron Bishop
MA, Education
assignment interpretation and research-methods coaching across disciplines
Aaron leads the EssayCrackers editorial desk. He works on how assignment briefs are read — what a rubric is actually asking for, and where students most often answer a different question than the one set.
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Dr. Nathan Cole
PhD, Rhetoric & Composition
Argumentation and thesis development
Nathan teaches first-year composition and directs a university writing center. He reviews EssayCrackers guides for argumentative soundness and citation accuracy.