Check out this report from the Sightline Insitute that says despite economic woes, northwesterners' health as improved. Focusing on the area of "Cascadia" - Washington, Idaho, Oregon, western Montana, northern California and British Columbia - they find that lifespans have grown to 80.5 years—an increase of more than 5 years since 1980.

From Sightline: The recent efforts by the US government to improve access to health care may bear fruit in the years to come, improving lifespans for residents of the Northwest states. But improving access to medical care is only part of the solution to a healthier population. Just as important are more systemic changes that keep us healthy without medical intervention. Redesigning our neighborhoods so that we can walk more and drive less, for example, would help promote regular exercise, limit deaths and injuries from car crashes, and reduce air pollution. Similarly, taking steps to reduce poverty could alleviate economic and social strains that contribute to poor health.  

Full story HERE. British Columbia is the winner, exceeding 84 years. If you hop over to the Spokane Regional Health District Indicators page, you'll see Spokane's life expectancy is a bit behind at 79 years and their seems to be a greater disparity in numbers based on race. As mentioned in the Inlander a while back, "people in Southgate, which hugs the southeast corner of Spokane’s city limits, live 84 years on average. In Riverside, the neighborhood that encompasses downtown Spokane, it’s about 66 years."

Adrian Dominguez, an epidemiologist for the health district and an author of the report found these results pretty disturbing. She told the Inlander: “We know [the cause] of cardiovascular disease — it’s unhealthy eating, lack of exercise,” Dominguez says. “Riverside probably has one of the densest areas of fastfood restaurants.”

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