King County residents are getting healthier and living longer–but health of some groups lag

Overall, the health of residents of King County is improving, but in some groups health indicators are improving slowly and in some cases growing worse, local health officials reported today.

The data was collected as part of a project called Community Health Indicators that Public Health – Seattle & King County uses to track health trends in the county.

The new data indicates that overall King County residents now have a life expectancy of 81.5 years, nearly four more years than the U.S. national average life expectancy of 77.7 years.

Based on five-year averages for the years 2003 through 2007, life expectancy was highest among Asians and Pacific Island groups, 83.7 years, and life expectancy was above average among Latino/Hispanic residents, 82.6 years, and whites, 81.3 years.

Life expectancy among African Americans, on the other hand, was considerably lower, 75.3 years, and lowest among Native American residents, 72.7 years.

Lower life expectancy was also tended to be seen among residents who lived in low-income neighborhoods and in south King County.

Among other findings:

• Deaths from homicide, suicide and motor vehicle accidents continue to decline, as did deaths from such chronic diseases as breast and colorectal cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
• Smoking rates also continued to fall and currently only 10.6 percent of adults age 18 or older now smoke, half the national rate of 21.1 percent.
• But King County’s obesity rate continues to rise with 21.3 percent, or 307,000, of King County residents now being considered obese.
• The report also found that almost 70 percent of King County residents achieve the recommended levels of physical activity. But roughly 20 to 30% of residents of color or low income and residents of south King County did not participate in any physical activity.

To learn more:

• Visit the Community Health Indicators project Web page, where you can find more about health trends in King County.

uif2cyjdme

Tags: Community Health Indicators, King County

Category: News