Women in the Trail area are outliving men by about four years, the average life expectancy being 82.3 years compared to 78.4 years for men.
Those figures and more, are the latest statistics from the BC Community Health Profile - a data-centric report meant to spark conversation about community health and empower citizens to live well, no matter the age.
The health profile draws on federal and provincial census details from residents in the Trail Local Health Area (LHA) which encompasses people living from Rossland through to Trail and out in the Beaver Valley.
A notable facet includes health stats related to money - the average Trail LHA income according to CensusPlus Analytics nears $60,000 whereas the average British Columbia income is significantly higher, at $78,300.
While the profile states that factors such as earnings and level of education impact health (21 per cent have no high school diploma, according to the LHA profile), they are “interrelated” and work together to contribute to the community’s overall well being.
The study also provides real numbers of disease incidence, showing higher rates of chronic respiratory illnesses like asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) compared to the rest of the province, as well as slightly higher rates of heart failure and high blood pressure.
Also of note, depression topped the list of newly diagnosed cases - 229 in one year. The profile clarifies that statistic captures only one aspect of mental health in the community, because it shows the number of people who have actually sought medical help and thus been diagnosed with depression for the first time. Because these figures are based on diagnosis, they do not capture those individuals who have not sought medical help.
Second on the list of newly diagnosed illness was 224 cases of high blood pressure, followed by 119 incidents of COPD and 90 of heart failure.
In a snap shot of high school students, nutrition habits and daily exercise echo other B.C. communities. However, smoking cigarettes was reported to be about 18 per cent higher in Grade 10 students and five per cent higher in Grade 12 students.
Trail Local Health Area stats
Rossland’s Community Health Profile was recently provided to Rossland city council by the Provincial Health Services Authority, and offered some sobering statistics.
According to the health profile, residents need to cut back on drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. Based on the Potential Years of Life Lost (PYLL) Index, which “estimates the number of years of life ‘lost’ to early deaths (i.e., deaths before age 75),” the average PYLL for alcohol related death’s in Trail LHA is 76 per cent higher than the BC average. For smoking attributable deaths, Trail’s average is 24 per cent higher than BC’s, and for drug-induced death’s its 6 per cent higher.
Trail LHA also compares unfavorably to the rest of the province when it comes to injury-related deaths. Trail LHA is 41 per cent higher on the PYLL index for falls than BC, and 29 per cent higher for motor vehicle crashes.
Lower life expectancy
Average life expectancy is also lower in the Trail LHA than in BC. The life expectancy for females in the Trail LHA is 82.3 years, compared to an average of 84.3 years in BC. For males in the Trail LHA, life expectancy is 78.4 years, compared to 80.2 years for the province. Overall, the life expectancy in Trail LHA is 80.4 years, compared to 82.3 years in BC.
Interior Health chronic disease rates above BC rates
Residents in the Interior Health region are also being diagnosed with chronic disease at a higher rate than BC residents as a whole.
The incidence rate (“the number of people who get sick per 1,000 in the community”) of asthma in the Interior Health region in 2013 was 8.7, compared to a rate of 6.0 in BC. The rate for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was 12.5 compared to 8.3 in BC, for heart failure it was 2.9 compared to 2.3, and for high blood pressure it was 18.6 compared to 17.3.
The one exception was the incidence rate of diabetes, which was 2.7 in the Interior Health Region and 5.1 in BC.
Higher incomes, not enough affordable rental housing
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