For immediate release: March 3, 2008  (08-025

Contacts:
Donn Moyer, Communications Office 360-236-4076
Tim Church, Communications Office 360-236-4077

OLYMPIA ¾ People in our state are living longer — and that leads to bigger health impacts from chronic diseases. These are among the findings in the Health of Washington State 2007 report just released by the state Department of Health.

The average life expectancy for those born in 2005 is 79.3 years — about four years longer than those born in 1980. With longer lives comes more risk of chronic disease.

"The good news is people in Washington are living longer," said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. "Hopefully, the information in this report will help people make good health choices to avoid chronic disease."

Death rates for heart disease and cancer are declining even though they’re the leading causes of death for all age groups and account for half of all deaths in our state. The downward trend is particularly clear for heart disease. Knowing the signs of a heart attack, calling 9-1-1 right away, and getting to a hospital are essential for the most positive outcomes after having a heart attack.

Older people get more diabetes, colorectal cancer, and melanoma — the most deadly type of skin cancer — than younger people. They also die more from stroke, coronary heart disease, and lung cancer. Older women die more from breast cancer than younger women.

While chronic diseases cause the majority of deaths in older people, injuries are the primary killer of children and young adults. However, injury deaths among children and young adults — including those from drowning, motor vehicles, suicide, and homicide — have declined.

The Health of Washington State 2007 (www.doh.wa.gov/hws) is available on the agency Web site. It’s updated every five years and includes data by county; information about health disparities associated with age, gender, and race/ethnicity; and information about effective interventions. It also provides information on health status, health risks, and health care services.

A healthy lifestyle — good nutrition, avoiding tobacco, and being physically active — can help avoid chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Adults in our state with incomes less than $20,000 are 50 percent more likely to be obese and 3 times more likely to smoke cigarettes compared to those with incomes of $50,000 and up. They’re over 10 times more likely to skip meals due to lack of money, twice as likely to have asthma, and nearly 3 times as likely to have diabetes.

The report includes sections on context of health, general health status, major risk and protective factors, infectious disease, chronic disease, injury and violence, maternal and child health, occupational health, and health care services. A section on environmental health is in progress and some chapters are available online.

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