1. CANCER Average state rate:
2. HEART DISEASE Average state rate:
3. STROKE Average state rate:
156.4
122.4
38.1
Age adjusted*
Age adjusted*
Age adjusted*
4. LOWER RESPIRATORY DISEASE Average state rate:
37.5 Age adjusted*
All rates per 100,000 people
HIGHEST Trinity 200.8
HIGHEST Stanislaus 165.2
HIGHEST San Luis Obispo 56.6
HIGHEST Shasta 71.5
HOW CALIFORNIANS DIE 5. ALZHEIMER’S Average state rate:
30.5 Age adjusted*
HIGHEST Solano 49.9
7. DIABETES Average state rate:
20.2 Age adjusted*
HIGHEST San Bernardino 33.9
But the age-adjusted death alifornians appear to KEY FOR rate in the state’s 58 counties be getting healthier in MAPS varied widely, from a low of many respects, with 516.4 in wealthy Marin County drops in deaths attributable Well above to 989.2 in nearby Lake to cancer and many other average major illnesses, as well as County, which has a high state rate homicide and auto accipoverty rate. dents, a new statistical The correlation between Slightly above report from the state Destate average affluence — or lack thereof — partment of Public Health and rates of death was indicates. strong in the report, with the At or below However, the state also is state average wealthier Bay Area and coastal Southern California seeing an uptick in deaths from Alzheimer's disease, as Not enough data counties having the lowest well as suicide and chronic for reliable rate rates and state’s poorer rural counties having the liver disease. The report covers three years — 2009-2011 — with highest. When it came to particular causes comparisons to 2006-2008. For the first time, too, the state of death, however however,, the correlation report on health-related issues com- sometimes continued and sometimes pares California’s experiences with the didn’t. recommendations of the federal Discounting data from counties government’ss “Healthy People 2020” with so few cases as to be statistically government’ benchmarks. insignificant, the department said the California averaged 234,637 deaths lowest cancer death rate was found in remote Inyo County, for instance, a year from all causes during the while the highest was in equally 2009-11 period for an “age-adjusted rate” of 654.9 per 100,000 population. remote Trinity County.
BETTER OFF? 9. LIVER DISEASE Average state rate:
11.4 Age adjusted*
HIGHEST San Joaquin 16.0
Increase
27.6 Age adjusted*
HIGHEST Lake 85.7
8. INFLUENZA/ PNEUMONIA Average state rate:
17.3
Previous All cancers 162.7 Heart disease 143.7 Stroke 42.8 Lower respiratory disease 39.4 Alzheimer’s 27.0 Accidents 30.8 Diabetes 22.1 Influenza/pneumonia 20.6 Liver disease 11.2 Drug-induced 11.1 Suicide 9.7 Firearm-related 8.8 Motor vehicle crashes 10.6 Homicide 6.4
10.2 Age adjusted*
HIGHEST Shasta 13.8
Current 156.4 122.4 38.1 37.5 30.5 27.6 20.2 17.3 11.4 10.9 10.2 7.8 7.5 5.2
Previous 160.0 109.9 48.9 36.8 16.0 38.0 22.8 12.5 10.0 12.3 12.4 6.7 12.1 12.4
Current 153.9 90.5 56.6 37.8 23.7 33.0 13.5 11.0 11.0 14.5 16.3 8.0 7.8 16.3
12. FIREARMRELATED Average state rate:
13. MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES Average state rate:
7.8 Age adjusted*
7.5 Age adjusted*
HIGHEST Madera 18.9
Age adjusted*
HIGHEST Tulare 24.6
A look at how the death rates per 100,000 for 2009-11 compare to the previous 2006-08 rates for the most common causes of death. CALIFORNIA SAN LUIS OBISPO CO.
11. SUICIDE Average state rate:
HIGHEST Humboldt 22.7
Decline
6. ACCIDENTS Average state rate:
10. DRUG-INDUCED Average state rate:
10.9 Age adjusted*
HIGHEST Lake 45.3
14. HOMICIDE Average state rate:
5.2 5. 2 Age adjusted*
HIGHEST San Joaquin 10.4
*The risk of death is primarily a function of old age. Age-adjusted death rates reflect the county’s rate if the ages of its population matched the statewide population. SOURCE: California Department of Public Health
Nathaniel Levine nlevine@sacbee
[email protected] .com
