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There are huge differences in how long a person can be expected to live within the Interior Health region.

The most dramatic extreme is between Lillooet, with a life expectancy of 75.9 years, versus Windermere at 83.2 years – a difference of 7.3 years.

In larger communities the differences are also stark. Central Okanagan residents, for example, can expect to live two years longer than their neighbours in Kamloops.

“It’s really hard to say why one community is higher or lower than another because there are so many different influences that come into play,” Dr. Julian Mallinson, Interior Health’s director of strategic initiatives - population health strategies and healthy public policy, told iNFOnews.ca.

“These are really significant differences we see across the region and it shouldn’t be the case that if you live in one community your health is better, you live longer than if you live in another community. It’s also important to note, it’s not just about life expectancy – how long you live – it’s about quality of our life. There’s a saying that we need to add life to years as well as adding years to our lives.”

The data, based on 2020 numbers, was presented to West Kelowna city council last month by Dr. Silvina Mema, deputy chief medical health officer for Interior Health.

Dr. Mema told council that 50% of factors affecting longevity are due to lifestyle, “things we eat, how we cope with life, parenting style, how we were raised – social determinants of health.”

Environment makes up 10%, biology 15% and access to healthcare 25%.

“Over the whole course of our life, our health is influenced by the body we’re born with, the choices we make about smoking, drinking alcohol, healthy eating, being physically active,” Dr. Mallinson said. “It’s also about our access to services – services that keep us healthy like health care when we need it.

“There are lots of other influences on our health and wellness, like our living and working conditions, our income and our social connection in community and for some, it’s about experiences of trauma and racism and other forms of discrimination which really have a negative impact on our health.”

Given that, it’s hard to say why the life expectancy in Kamloops is so different from Kelowna, and that’s something Interior Health trying to better understand.

“That’s what life expectancy (data) is helpful for - to be able to step back and understand the overall health of the whole population,” Dr. Mallinson said. "We work very closely with school districts and families so we can give children the best possible start in life.

"That is so important for someone’s health in their life but also their life expectancy. We work with local governments and community partners to create conditions in the community where people can be as healthy as they can be and that’s about safe drinking water, food and food security, planning, transport and it’s drug checking and overdose prevention services, climate resilience – so many different things where Interior Health can collaborate with municipalities and community partners to address some of these underlying influences of the quality of life and also how long we live.”

The average life expectancy in the Interior Health region is 81.4 years, lower than the BC average of 82.6 years.

The national average, according to Statistics Canada, is also declining, dropping to 81.3 years in 2022 from 81.6  years in 2021.

That decline is likely due to things like increased COVID deaths and the toxic drug overdose crisis, Dr. Mallinson said. Since the Interior Health data is two years older, it's possible that life expectancies within Interior Health will show a decline when it is updated.

Life expectancy, in years, in the Interior Health Region:

• 75.9 – Lillooet
• 76.1 – Merritt
• 76.6 – 100 Mile House
• 77.4 – Cariboo/Chilcotin
• 77.9 – Princeton
• 78.8 – Grand Forks
• 78.9 – Castlegar
• 79.1 – North Thompson
• 79.2 – Kootenay Lake
• 79.9 – Kamloops
• 79.9 – Keremeos
• 80.2 – Trail
• 80.3 – South Okanagan
• 80.4 – Enderby
• 80.5 – Penticton
• 80.8 – Kettle Valley
• 80.8 – Vernon
• 80.7 – Arrow Lakes
• 80.7 – Revelstoke
• 80.9 – Cranbrook
• 81.0 – Salmon Arm
• 81.2 – Creston
• 81.5 – Armstrong/Spullumcheen
• 81.7 – Kimberley
• 81.9 – Central Okanagan
• 81.9 – Nelson
• 82.2 – Summerland
• 82.3 – Golden
• 82.9 – Fernie
• 83.2 – Windermere

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