A strong and accessible health care system and healthy choices are key to vitality

While some indicators have room for improvement, we are making healthy choices as a region, and doing better than comparable cities and the national average.

• Stress levels dropped 11% in metro Vancouver in 2009, with only 20% of respondents reporting most days as very stressful (less than Toronto at 26%).
  Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey
• Smoking rates fell 21% in one year and our rate of 13% continues to be below the national average, the BC average, Toronto and Montreal.
  Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey

• Obesity rates rose 6% in our region over just one year in 2009, to nearly 12% of total residents, but we are still lower than the Canadian average and Toronto. Within our region, Richmond has the lowest obesity rate at 6%.
  Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey

Preventable deaths

• People in the Downtown Eastside are far more likely to die from medically treatable diseases. Many more people die in that neighbourhood from diseases like tuberculosis, pneumonia and bacteria infections than expected.
• Their standard mortality ratio is nearly three times that of people living in the city centre, just blocks away.
  BC Vital Statistics Agency, 2007 Annual Report

• In 2009, 72% of metro Vancouverites rated their mental health as very good or excellent, up two percentage points from 2003. However, for the last seven years we have consistently rated ourselves lower than residents in Toronto or Montreal.
  Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey