Pamela Fayerman, CanWest News Service; Vancouver Sun
Published: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
VANCOUVER -- Men in British Columbia now lead the world in male life expectancy at a ripe old 79.2 years of age, eclipsing even long-lived Japanese men, who have enjoyed the distinction for decades.
B.C. women, on the other hand, still outlive B.C. men to 85.2 years, but on a global scale they fall to sixth place behind women in Japan, Spain, Switzerland, France, and Italy.
The findings were presented Monday to B.C. Healthy Living Alliance delegates who were in Vancouver to discuss ways to ensure B.C. is the healthiest jurisdiction to ever host an Olympic games.
Dr. John Millar, executive director of population health surveillance for the Provincial Health Services Authority, attributes a decline in smoking and improved medical treatment for B.C. men's gains, while women have not enjoyed the same improvement for reasons that include smoking and stress, both of which are associated with womens' dual labour in the paid workforce and at home.
In 1921, the figures reveal, a male born in B.C. was expected to live 60.3 years. For women, a baby girl had a life expectancy of 64.2 years.
The latest data show Japan has dropped to No. 3 in male life expectancy ranking behind B.C. and Iceland. The projection is Japanese men will drop to fifth, behind B.C., Switzerland, Iceland, and Sweden in life expectancy by 2010 because of smoking, which is counteracting the more healthful traditional diets to which experts have always attributed Japanese longevity.
In Japan, 50 per cent of men smoke, while in B.C. the figure is about 14 per cent for males over age 12. That means fewer B.C. men are dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease and lung cancer.
By 2010, B.C. women are expected to be seventh in global ranking because of smoking and obesity rates. Although B.C. males continually show a downward trend in smoking, rates for females (13 per cent) have been unchanged in recent years. Studies show smoking hits women harder than men; they die seven years sooner than non-smokers while male smokers die 5.5 years earlier than non-smokers.
In the new report, called Comparison of Life Expectancy at Birth between British Columbia and the Leading OECD Countries, the possible reasons for women making less progress than men over the past 30 years include:
- Men's deaths from all cancers have fallen 2.7 per cent while women's have fallen half that;
- Men's death rates from lung cancer have fallen 9.6 per cent while women's death rates have increased nearly 300 per cent;
- Breast cancer death rates in women have increased 17.2 per cent while death rates from prostate cancer, which is just as prevalent, have fallen 1.2 per cent;
- Only when it comes to suicide have women's death rates fallen three times more than men, at 30 per cent, versus 10 per cent in men.
Monday's conference focused on policies communities can adopt, such as banning junk food from schools and promoting physical activity. The B.C. Healthy Living Alliance was formed in 2003 and consists of government representatives and those from groups like the B.C. Lung Association, Canadian Diabetes Association, Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation and Dieticians of Canada.
pfayerman@png.canwest.com
Vancouver Sun
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/n...=15fb318d-8e23-4228-8887-c2a383d8f368&k=67863
Published: Tuesday, April 04, 2006
VANCOUVER -- Men in British Columbia now lead the world in male life expectancy at a ripe old 79.2 years of age, eclipsing even long-lived Japanese men, who have enjoyed the distinction for decades.
B.C. women, on the other hand, still outlive B.C. men to 85.2 years, but on a global scale they fall to sixth place behind women in Japan, Spain, Switzerland, France, and Italy.
The findings were presented Monday to B.C. Healthy Living Alliance delegates who were in Vancouver to discuss ways to ensure B.C. is the healthiest jurisdiction to ever host an Olympic games.
Dr. John Millar, executive director of population health surveillance for the Provincial Health Services Authority, attributes a decline in smoking and improved medical treatment for B.C. men's gains, while women have not enjoyed the same improvement for reasons that include smoking and stress, both of which are associated with womens' dual labour in the paid workforce and at home.
In 1921, the figures reveal, a male born in B.C. was expected to live 60.3 years. For women, a baby girl had a life expectancy of 64.2 years.
The latest data show Japan has dropped to No. 3 in male life expectancy ranking behind B.C. and Iceland. The projection is Japanese men will drop to fifth, behind B.C., Switzerland, Iceland, and Sweden in life expectancy by 2010 because of smoking, which is counteracting the more healthful traditional diets to which experts have always attributed Japanese longevity.
In Japan, 50 per cent of men smoke, while in B.C. the figure is about 14 per cent for males over age 12. That means fewer B.C. men are dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease and lung cancer.
By 2010, B.C. women are expected to be seventh in global ranking because of smoking and obesity rates. Although B.C. males continually show a downward trend in smoking, rates for females (13 per cent) have been unchanged in recent years. Studies show smoking hits women harder than men; they die seven years sooner than non-smokers while male smokers die 5.5 years earlier than non-smokers.
In the new report, called Comparison of Life Expectancy at Birth between British Columbia and the Leading OECD Countries, the possible reasons for women making less progress than men over the past 30 years include:
- Men's deaths from all cancers have fallen 2.7 per cent while women's have fallen half that;
- Men's death rates from lung cancer have fallen 9.6 per cent while women's death rates have increased nearly 300 per cent;
- Breast cancer death rates in women have increased 17.2 per cent while death rates from prostate cancer, which is just as prevalent, have fallen 1.2 per cent;
- Only when it comes to suicide have women's death rates fallen three times more than men, at 30 per cent, versus 10 per cent in men.
Monday's conference focused on policies communities can adopt, such as banning junk food from schools and promoting physical activity. The B.C. Healthy Living Alliance was formed in 2003 and consists of government representatives and those from groups like the B.C. Lung Association, Canadian Diabetes Association, Canadian Cancer Society, Heart and Stroke Foundation and Dieticians of Canada.
pfayerman@png.canwest.com
Vancouver Sun
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/n...=15fb318d-8e23-4228-8887-c2a383d8f368&k=67863
