Life Expectancy in Rossmoor, Los Al and Seal Beach Is Longer Than in Most of O.C.

Residents in Los Alamitos, Rossmoor and Seal Beach have a higher life expectancy than people living in surrounding cities, according to the latest life expectancy findings from the Orange County Health Care Agency.

But they aren’t likely to live as long as most people in South Orange County. The health care agency’s life expectancy findings offer some good news and bad news for the residents of Los Alamitos, Rossmoor and Seal Beach. Residents in the three communities are likely to live longer than the national average of 77.8 years. In fact, they have the highest average life expectancy in North Orange County, with 81.6 to 82.8 years. Most Orange County residents from cities north of Newport Beach have an average life expectancy that ranges from 79.3 to 81.5 years. Whereas, residents in Newport Beach and most cities to the south have an average life expectancy ranging from 81.6 to 85.2 years.

This year was the first time the agency broke down life expectancy findings city by city, and the results held some surprises, said Curt Condon, planning and resources manager for the healthcare agency.

“There is somewhat of a paradox,” he said.

Research suggests that people with higher educations and lower poverty rates tend to live longer, which could help explain why some of the South County cities have a higher life expectancy, Condon said. Higher socioeconomic status is presumably linked to better access to health care, healthier foods and exercise opportunities.

However, Asians, Pacific Islanders and Hispanics in Orange County tend to have higher life expectancies than other ethnicities, such as whites or blacks. Even though North Orange County has a higher population of Asians and Hispanics, it still has a shorter life expectancy.

While there is a correlation between ethnicity and life expectancy, it isn’t a rule, said David Thiessen, chief of quality management for the health care agency. Over the last couple decades, the life expectancy for black people in the county has risen along with their socioeconomic standing, said Thiessen. Currently, the life expectancy for Orange County blacks is 80.4 years and 80.3 years for whites.

The longstanding disparity in life expectancies between men and women continues, with the average Orange County woman expected to live to 83.2, compared with 79.6 for men. Both men and women in the county have higher lifetime expectancies than the national average.

“Smoking is a big factor,” said David “We looked to the smoking rate in Orange County as lowering the morbidity rate.”

In Orange County, 11 percent of adults are smokers; 18 percent of adults are smokers nationwide.

To increase life expectancy, people should try to manage their weight, cholesterol, blood pressure, exercise and diabetes, added Condon.

In all, Orange County residents are on the right track, with the average life expectancy increasing from 76.9 years in 1990 to 81.5 years, according to the most recent findings.