Santa Clara County's Leading Cause of Death Is...

The County of Santa Clara released the results of a study on Thursday showing the overall health of residents from Gilroy up to Palo Alto. 

The report is being used to create a new Health Element of the Santa Clara County General Plan.

“This report helps us better understand some of the health challenges our residents face, and gives us the tools to make improvements through the planning process,” said Supervisor Joe Simitian.

See some of the key findings below:

• As a whole, Santa Clara County residents are very healthy compared to the rest of the state and country. However, disparities do exist among income, racial/ethnic, and age groups.
• County residents live longer, on average, than those throughout the state or country. However, there are variations in life expectancy in different parts of the county. At the most extreme, residents of Midtown San Jose have an average life expectancy of 79.5 years, compared to 86.7 years for those from the cities of Los Altos, Mountain View, and Palo Alto.
• Cancer and heart disease are the leading causes of death in the county and account for 50 percent of all deaths.
• In Santa Clara County, about 55 percent of adults and 25 percent of middle school students are considered overweight or obese.
• Economically disadvantaged students are 62 percent more likely to be overweight or obese, compared to non-disadvantaged students. Hispanic/Latino students are 55 percent more likely to be overweight or obese compared to white students.
• County residents with the highest obesity rates, in addition to racial and ethnic minorities and those with lower incomes, tend to have less education and be from a rural area.
• The highest rates of heart disease and diabetes occur in Midtown San Jose and the southern portion of the County in and around the Cities of Gilroy and Morgan Hill.
• The percentage of uninsured adults (age 18-64 years old) in Santa Clara County increased from 8 percent in 2000 to 18 percent in 2009.
• Approximately 35 percent of county adults under 35 years old lack health insurance.
• Unintentional falls are the leading cause of death and non-fatal hospitalizations among older adults in Santa Clara County.
• Low-income areas of the county have higher violent crime densities than the county as a whole. However, county residents as a whole perceive their neighborhoods to be safer than other Californians.