Health of the community

How is King County doing?

Over the course of their lives, most people experience periods of both good health--usually for the majority of their lives--and poor health. Years of Healthy Life (YHL) is the number of years the average King County resident born today can expect to live in good health. For example, the average King County resident born between 2005 and 2007 could expect to live 81.2 years, 72.8 of which would be spent in good health and 8.4 of which would be spent in poor health.

Over the last 10 years, YHL in King County has changed little, rising only from 71.4 years (1996-1998 average) to 72.8 years (2005-2007 average). Total life expectancy--which includes expected healthy and unhealthy years--has increased more, from 78.6 years to 81.2 years. In other words, only 1.4 of the 2.6 years of life expectancy we have gained in the last decade can be expected to be spent in good health. Both total life expectancy and YHL lowest on South Region, and the average number and percent of expected years lived in poor health is also greatest in South. Both total life expectancy and YHL were lowest in South Region, and the average number and percent of expected years lived in poor health were also greatest in South Region.

What else influences these indicators?

Healthy life expectancy is influenced by both the total number of years lived and the quality of life of those years. Many factors affect life expectancy and quality of life. Disease and injuries result in shortened life span (death) and in diminished quality of life (disability). Diseases and injuries in turn are affected by health-related behaviors, access to medical care, and more fundamentally, by genetics and the social and physical environments found in King County. Behaviors that significantly affect disease and injury rates include tobacco use, alcohol and other substance misuse, physical inactivity, eating unhealthy foods, and unsafe sexual activity. Physical environmental conditions include air and water quality and the built environment (parks, streets, sidewalks, housing). Social environmental conditions include social support, stress, income, education, and racial discrimination.

What role does King County government play?

Public Health - Seattle & King County strives to increase healthy years through health protection, health promotion and providing high quality medical care and other services for those in need. Major activities include policy advocacy, community partnerships, regulation, health education and clinical care. Examples of PHSKC activities that can be expected to affect YHL are:

• promoting regulation of the use of artificial trans fat, which causes heart disease, in restaurants;
• working with schools in southeast Seattle and South King County to promote physical activity and healthy nutrition in youth;
• ensuring that tobacco retailers do not sell to underage youth;
• ensuring access to recommended vaccines against communicable diseases for all King County children;
• inspecting restaurants for compliance with sanitary standards;
• maintaining a health care safety net of Public Health and community clinics for children and adults who need clinical care; and
• expanding health insurance and access to needed services for all low-income children through the King County Children's Health Initiative.