Some folks have started calling the United States the "richest third world country in the world".

In no example is that more true than the announcement this week that women's life expectancy has declined in nearly 1,000 counties in the United States.

Unfortunately an Associated Press report we ran in yesterday's Post-Gazette didn't highlight how significant this is.

This is the first time this has happened with American women since the Spanish influenza in 1918 -- 90 years ago, according to the Washington Post. In other parts of the world, this has happened to both men and women in sub-Sahara Arica because of the AIDS epidemic that struck in the early '90s and also because of the social upheaval that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union.

But the United States?

The study, based on data from the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, said the steepest decline in longevity has occurred in the Deep South, Appalachia, the lower Midwest and in one county in Maine. It's more common in rural and low-income areas.

The hardest hit areas have been Radford City and Pulaski County in southwestern Virginia, where life expectancy among women has slipped by more than five years since 1983.

Why?

Obesity, the high rate of smoking, poor diet and lack of exercise have been cited as reasons. Men have been affected, but by a much lesser degree.

Dr. Nancy Snyderman, chief medical correspondent for NBC, earlier this week also theorized that too many women are putting the care and welfare of other family members before their own.

Which is why this is a topic for Parent Exchange. It's easy for parents to get caught up with all the duties of running a household and a job and not having much time for themselves. When caring for the kids, cleaning and cooking meals are over for the day, moms have little time -- or energy -- for exercise. After taking the kids to all their dental and doctor appointments, there's little time to squeeze in a check-up for themselves. And it's tough to eat healthfully when always on the run.

Yet, moms who take care of themselves first -- and adequately -- are going to have more energy for their family and will, in the long run, be a happier parent.

This new study should be a wake-up call to the U.S. government that something is woefully wrong with modern healthcare prevention and treatment. But it's also a message that all moms should give themselves as much attention as they give their families.