LOS ANGELES – Overall life expectancy in Los Angeles County is increasing and, for the first time, has reached a high of 80.3 years. This advance, and its reasons, is described in the new Department of Public Health report, titled “Life Expectancy in Los Angeles County: How long do we live and why?”
“Average life expectancy is one of the most fundamental measures of the health of a population and community. We are pleased to see that there have been substantial gains over the past couple of decades,” said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer.
The report examines both the reasons for this overall gain and why residents in some neighborhoods may not live as long as residents in others. At the extremes, there is a nearly 18-year difference in life expectancy between black males and Asian/Pacific Islander females (69.4 years of age versus 86.9 years, respectively), and a 12-year difference in life expectancy between the residents of Compton and La Cañada/Flintridge (75.7 years versus 87.8 years).
“To identify continuing wide gaps between wealthy and less wealthy communities and between different ethnic groups is sobering and disconcerting,” said Dr. Fielding. “Why should an unincorporated community in South LA (Westmont) have an average life expectancy that is 10 years lower than a city (Culver City) only 10 miles away? It’s important to examine these disparities and seek answers as to how to reduce these unacceptable differences.” In 1991, the average life expectancy for LA County was 75.8 years. In 2006, the latest year for which information is available, the number rose to 80.3 years. Over a 15- year span, average longevity increased almost five years, an average of four months for every one of those years.
For the first time, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health also has analyzed life expectancy at birth in 103 cities and communities across the county, and the report highlights the relationship between how long people live and the social and economic circumstances within their communities.” (Source – County of Los Angeles Public Health)
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