To Our Health : County Residents’ Wellness Scores Top Most State, National Averages

Maybe Ventura County residents are more conscientious about taking their vitamins. Maybe the sea breezes are responsible. Or maybe living on the edge of some of the richest fruit- and vegetable-growing territory in the country makes the difference.

Whatever it is, a new state study makes one thing clear: Venturans are taking better care of themselves on average than most California residents. Not only are they healthier, they are less likely to die as a result of accidents or homicides.

According to a report just released by the state Department of Health Services, Ventura County has also met many of the goals of a national program set to improve Americans’ health by 2000.

“Overall, we are doing as well if not better than California and national standards,” said Dr. Elizabeth Trebow, director of the county’s Public Health Center for Health Outcomes Research & Evaluation.

In the mid-1980s, the federal Centers for Disease Control established a sort of wish list to reduce deaths from and outbreaks of various diseases by 2000, Trebow said. In 17 of the 21 categories included in the report, Ventura County has lower rates than the standard set by the CDC.

Trebow credits the good scores to both the quality and accessibility of health care in the county. She said the relatively comfortable economic status of residents is also a contributing factor.

But there are some areas that still need improvement, she said. One disease that continues to plague the county is tuberculosis. Averaged over a period from 1992 to 1994, there were 8.2 incidents of tuberculosis per 100,000 Ventura County residents, far higher than the goal set by the Centers for Disease Control of 3.5 incidents per 100,000. At the same time, state averages for TB are twice that of Ventura County’s.

But Trebow said the tuberculosis rate should drop soon, thanks to an aggressive campaign to identify and treat people afflicted with the lung disease.

“We don’t think there are actually more people with tuberculosis,” Trebow said. “We just think there are more cases being reported. We expect to see a decline in the rate in the next two years.”

Drug-related deaths are still higher than the national objective, with 6.8 per 100,000 people dying as a result of drug use in the county, more than double the goal set by the CDC.

The study also found that 15.6% of women who gave birth in Ventura County over the three-year period went without prenatal care in the first three months of their pregnancy. The national goal is to reduce that number to 10%.

Studies have shown that care in the first trimester can boost birth weights and greatly improve the health of babies. But many pregnant women fall through the cracks and miss this crucial care, Trebow said. The county hopes to reach more women through outreach and educational programs, she said.

“We’re trying to break down the barriers that are keeping them from coming in,” she said.

Overall, the study makes Ventura County residents appear to be a healthy bunch.

Death rates from lung cancer, breast cancer and heart disease are lower in Ventura County than the California average and the national standard. The number of AIDS cases--10.9 per 100,000--is also extremely low compared to California’s 34.3 and the national average of 39.2.

Deaths from firearm injuries are half the state average, while deaths from unintentional injuries and motor-vehicle crashes are slightly lower.

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Health Status Indicators

Ventura County is healthier than most counties in California and exceeds federal goals for 2000 in 17 of 21 categories, according to figures averaged over a three-year period. Below are figures for how the county compares, shown per 100,000 population.

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Ventura National Cause of death County California Objective All causes 390.8 461.7 n/a Cancer 109.5 118.0 130.0 Heart disease 83.5 103.9 100.0 Motor-vehicle crashes 12.2 13.4 16.8 Firearm injuries 8.8 17.0 12.6 Infant mortality 6.8 7.5 7.0 Homicide 5.0 13.4 7.2

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Source: State Department of Health Services