Lifestyle Cited in Low Heart Disease Rate

Maybe there really is something to the clean air, rural setting, and fresh fruit and vegetables Ventura County residents rave about.

Validating anecdotal wisdom, the latest statistics show that county residents are less prone to die from heart disease than the average Californian.

Based on the first-ever city-specific breakdown of deaths from heart disease, released today, most Ventura County cities have a relative rate equal to or lower than that of the state as a whole.

The news does not come as a surprise to Ventura County health experts.

“The most important thing to take from this report is that we are doing better than the state in terms of death from heart disease,” said Dr. Elizabeth Trebow, manager of health statistics for the Ventura County Public Health Department. “It’s a good report card, but there’s always room for improvement.”

The report does not quantify what precisely accounts for higher or lower rates of heart disease. But doctors agree that smoking, a lousy diet, lack of exercise, air pollution, poverty, and limited access to health care and preventive medicine all contribute to heart disease.

Because more than half of all heart disease is preventable, experts cite the county’s more laid-back lifestyle as contributing to the generally lower rates.

In contrast to more urban areas, Ventura County boasts relative prosperity, an effective anti-smoking campaign, an abundance of rugged hiking trails and even rapid transport to hospitals. Those factors are reflected in the heart disease rates.

Oxnard and Thousand Oaks, in particular, had significantly lower rates of heart disease, according to the study released by UC San Francisco and the California Department of Health Services, covering the years between 1989 and 1991.

In Thousand Oaks, for instance, the heart disease rate was 127 deaths for every 100,000 people. Compared to the state’s 159 deaths per 100,000 people, Thousand Oaks has a relative rate of 0.80.

Santa Paula and Simi Valley, meanwhile, had slightly higher rates. In Simi Valley, the rate was 174 deaths for every 100,000 people--or a relative rate of 1.09.

The Simi Valley and Santa Paula experience--perhaps attributable to poor air quality--is not scientifically significant, Trebow said.

“Basically, they’re the same as the California rate,” she said. “None of our rates were significantly higher, and two were significantly lower.”

One reason for the lower rates is wealth, all acknowledge.

“Affluent areas tend to be better educated,” said Dr. Richard Ashby, medical director of Ventura County Medical Center. “They teach their children not to smoke, and they have better access to health care, whether it’s in preventing problems or treating problems.”

Another factor, Trebow and Ashby agreed, is likely the short length of time that passes between a 911 heart attack call and arrival of an ambulance. Many county residents live within a short drive of a hospital.

“In Ventura, you have very close access to three major hospitals providing major heart surgery,” Ashby said. “No matter where you are in Ventura, you’re usually no more than a five- to eight-minute drive to a hospital.”

In a city, the drive to a hospital can take 15 to 20 minutes easily.

“Clearly, minutes count in the treatment of a heart attack,” he said.

While the report is encouraging news, Trebow said heart disease is still the leading killer in all Ventura County cities--outpacing various cancers, emphysema, diabetes and car crashes.

* MAIN STORY: A1

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Local Rates

According to a new study, Ventura County residents are less likely to die from heart disease than the average Californian. Statewide, the death rate from heart disease is 158.99 per 100,000 residents. Relative to the rest of the state, here are the county’s heart disease rates, city by city:

Locale: Relative rate

Camarillo: 0.67

Moorpark: 0.94

Oxnard: 0.82

Port Hueneme: 0.72

Santa Paula: 1.12

Simi Valley: 1.09

Thousand Oaks: 0.80

Ventura: 0.85

California: 1.00

Source: California Department of Health Services and UC San Francisco