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Ventura County commutes, housing, air quality bring health costs

Ventura County Star - 4/9/2017

April 08--In a region that prides itself on health, too many people in Ventura County suffer because of housing issues, long work commutes and air not as clean as it could be, according to a new study.

The annual County Health Rankings & Roadmaps paints a glowing picture of Ventura County in behaviors ranging from smoking to sexually transmitted infections, ranking the area sixth highest out of 57 California counties.

The region excelled, too, in a length of life calculation involving how many people die prematurely -- before the age of 75. Ventura County ranked seventh best among California counties.

Scores dipped in areas that measure the environment, including air, water, housing and commuting patterns. In those categories, Ventura County ranked 43rd among the state's counties, lower than Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Orange counties.

To see the rankings go here.

Study leaders said the environmental scores are a small part of the county's overall performance. But the crooked number triggers concern in a county where public health leaders have publicly announced a goal of becoming the healthiest region in the nation by 2030.

"It's frustrating but it's also confounding," said Dr. Robert Levin, Ventura County Public Health officer, citing the county's rank as 10th in California for overall health. "Imagine how much better our health outcomes would be if we weren't held back by some of these physical environment issues."

The rankings come from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and are designed to show how the places people live affect their health.

About one of four households in Ventura County struggled with the cost of housing, lived in crowded homes or struggled with inadequate kitchens or plumbing, according to study data gathered from 2009 to 2013.

Housing issues cause stress across California but communities aren't powerless, said Levin. They can promote better wages and build affordable housing. They can develop in the middle of cities rather than on the edges in a strategy that promotes walking and creates the density needed to support groceries and markets that offer fresh foods.

Commuting is also a concern. About 77 percent of working people in Ventura County drove alone to their jobs, according to the study. About 34 percent of the people who drove alone had commutes of more than 30 minutes.

Time in the car means less time exercising and can contribute to obesity and high blood pressure, according to study leaders. Levin worries for another reason.

"When you're driving alone, you're not socializing with anyone," he said, noting that contact with other people helps promote longer lives.

The study also looked at young adults who appear isolated. About 11 percent of Ventura County youths ages 16 to 24 neither worked nor went to school, according to data from 2008 to 2012. They were disconnected, said Raquel Bournhonesque, who works with the rankings as a community coach.

"If you get 1 of 10 youths who are not in school and not working, it's such a loss, not only to that individual but to the entire community," she said.

The county's air pollution score is based on 2012 data that measures tiny particles in the air. The score was worse than the statewide rate but was on an improving trend and was better than neighbors like Kern and Los Angeles counties.

The particulate matter also meets state and federal standards, said Mike Villegas, executive officer of the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, characterizing the score as good but noting it could be improved.

According to the study, Ventura County was one of 46 counties in the state with a health-related drinking water violation during the fiscal years of 2013 and 2014. Bournhonesque downplayed the importance of the score, noting a violation is registered if any of the many water districts that serve a region receive a single violation.

The study is filled with good scores. About 98 percent of Ventura County residents had access to exercise. About 10 percent of the county's adults smoked, a score that ranks in the nation's top 10 percent.

The county's score in the complicated calculation for length of life also registered in the nation's top 10 percent, according to data from 2012 to 2014. To some the gap between environmental scores and mortality rates shows the balance of living in Ventura County.

The climate and the beach promote longevity, said Kim Clarke, who has lived in Ventura for years but is planning to move to Virgina.

"However," she said during a walk on the promenade in Ventura, "it is so fricking, flipping expensive that you might not be able to afford it to live (and get to the) longevity."

To see Ventura County's scores, go to http://bit.ly/2paYADL .

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