Politics & Government
Life Expectancy Varies 12 Years Between PacPal-Brentwood and Watts
The L.A. County Department of Public Health's Health Atlas highlights key findings to look at improving health outcomes for all residents, such as increased pedestrian safety and the addition of more parks.
If you live in Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Bel Air or another Westside neighborhood, there's a fairly strong chance you are physically active on a regular basis and at least have a high school degree.
What's shocking (yet also predictable), when comparing the health of Westside's neighborhoods to other parts of the city, are the disparities in some of the figures presented in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's Health Atlas. Most alarming is a 12-year difference in life expectancy between residents living in Brentwood-Pacific Palisades-Bel Air (84.7 years) and Watts (72.8 years).
The health atlas was released on the final day of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's term. The full, 198-page report can be viewed here in .pdf. The report contains a thorough breakdown of health, demographics, socio-economics and outcomes in Los Angeles.
The reports' findings claim to provide a first glimpse to understanding parts of L.A. that are most health-burdened in order to create a new health and wellness chapter for the city's general plan.
The bottom line of the report highlights where Angelenos live often influences their health and well being. The disparity of the more affluent communities, such as Brentwood and Pacific Palisades, and the poorer communities, such as in the southern and central parts of L.A., are consistently reflected in the data.
Another alarming statistic showed that less than 12 percent of children in Brentwood-Pacific Palisades are obese compared to more than 30 children in South L.A., Southeast L.A., Boyle Heights and neighborhoods near the Port of Los Angeles.
Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health, said the city and county need to work together to comprehend and target all the factors in the health atlas to improve health outcomes for all residents, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. Increasing pedestrian safety, adding parks and investing to improve air quality in high density areas are major factors.
The California Endowment, along with the county department of health, helped fund the study.
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