Lowest life expectancy in county is in Newark's south end

NEWARK - If a person is born on the south side of Newark, they will live an average of 69.4 years. But if you're born in Granville, your life expectancy increases by nearly 15 years, according to a new report.

Data from the U.S. Small-area Life Expectancy Estimates Project breaks down life expectancy by census tract, giving health officials the most specific data they have ever had, said Licking County Health Commission Joe Ebel.

For Licking County, the area surrounding Granville has the highest life expectancy at 84.3 years, while the south side of Newark has the lowest. 

Adjacent to Newark's south side, people in an area of Heath on average live 10 years longer to 79.4 years. 

People in the southeast part of the county, including all of Bowling Green Township and most of Licking Township, have an average life span of 82.1 years, the second highest in the county.

Ebel said the report shows that unfortunately there are health disparities across Licking County communities.

"We know that there’s a lot of social determinants of health like your income, education, access to affordable safe housing, reliable transportation, access to healthy foods," he said. "There’s a lot of things besides just the healthcare you get when you’re sick or the genetics that you’re born with." 

Ebel said health experts have known socioeconomic factors impact a person's overall health, and this report shows just how much.

"This really kinds of puts that in a graphic that backs that up and shows that you can live three or four miles a part on a map and have a significant difference in the life expectancies of the people that live in those communities."

Ebel said because of all the factors,increasing life expectancy in certain areas does not have a simple fix.

"It’s something that really requires a lot of community effort to try to reverse the trends that have resulted in those lower life expectancies."

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The health department has never had information this specific, Ebel said. In the past, the department has relied on data that looks at the state or county as a whole. By knowing the differences in life expectancy in such specific parts of Licking County, Ebel said the health department can do more for the areas in need.

Ebel said health department officials will continue working with various entities, ranging from the city of Newark to mental health organizations, to make sure every group is supporting each other rather than "working in our silos."

"A lot of times it’s not the things we’re typically thinking of a public health," he said. "It may be working on things to help with the school systems to improve graduation rates or working with the housing authority and other agencies to try to address some of those things that cause people that are living in that community to kind of start further behind the starting line than other people in our county."

mdevito@gannett.com

740-328-8513

Twitter: @MariaDeVito13