More than 28 percent of all deaths in Santa Barbara County in 2008 happened prematurely, and the top reasons for those deaths were largely preventable, according to a report released by the county public health department.
The 2011 Community Health Status Report—released April 15—examines the leading causes of illness and death in Santa Barbara County in 2008, as well as demographic data.
Though much of the information is consistent with previous reports, a few conclusions may be surprising.
Of the 2,917 deaths that happened countywide that year, for example, 832—more than a quarter—were considered premature, based on a life expectancy of 75 years. The leading causes of those deaths could have been mitigated—if not prevented—the study found.
Heart disease and cancer remained the leading causes of all deaths in 2008. Heart disease was found to be the overall leading cause at approximately 25 percent, followed by stroke (7 percent) and lung cancer (5 percent).
That’s consistent with the department’s last batch of statistics from 2007, which showed that heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer caused 17, 7, and 5 percent of all deaths, respectively.
This year’s report also named the leading causes of premature death, but the results may be a little misleading. For example, heart disease, motor vehicle accidents, and accidental drug overdoses are named as the most frequent causes of death for people younger than 75. Those causes, however, are ranked by years lost—that is, the number of years a death comes before age 75. The number of potential years lost in premature death total much more than 17,000.
However, based on the actual number of premature deaths, motor vehicle accidents are removed from the list. Strictly percentage-wise, heart disease remains the highest factor in premature death at 17 percent—but lung cancer takes the No. 2 spot at 9 percent, and accidental drug overdose comes in third at 4 percent. Motor vehicle accidents caused 22 premature deaths, or 2 percent.
A breakdown of the causes of premature deaths wasn’t collected in previous years.
Regardless of how the causes are ranked, however, the study shows that most deaths prior to age 75 are largely preventable, said department public information officer Susan Klein-Rothschild. Unhealthy behaviors and practices such as using tobacco, abusing drugs—legal and illegal—and other factors such as overeating and inactivity are killing us before our time, she explained.
“This data shows us that between 60 to 70 percent of the things that end lives early are things we can do something about. They’re not genetic,” Klein-Rothschild told the Sun.
The report singled out obesity as the greatest threat to the largest percentage of county residents; it’s a condition that fuels heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and a variety of cancers.
Klein-Rothschild said the department has shifted its focus in recent years to educating the community about obesity, as the percentage of lung cancer deaths has decreased, suggesting persistent anti-tobacco education efforts have resulted in fewer smokers.
This article appears in Apr 21-28, 2011.