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Hamilton health report says premature death on the rise

Posted:November 5, 2024 | 10:10 AM
By:Marney Carmichael

Updated: November 6, 2024 | 12:56 PM

According to a recently published health report more Hamiltonians are dying prematurely compared to a decade ago, driven in part by illicit drug use and the opioid crisis.

The 2024 ‘Hamilton’s Community Health Status Report’, published by the City of Hamilton Public Health Services, stated that more than 1,900 area residents died before age 75 in 2021.

Nearly half of these deaths were considered preventable.

The rate of premature death increased for Hamilton residents between 2012 and 2021.

The increase is far greater in neighbourhoods with more low-income households, indicating a widening gap in Hamiltonians’ quality of life.

“If you take health expectancy rates in Hamilton’s urban core, specifically in different pockets across the lower city, you will see life expectancy rates of 20-21 years shorter than Dundas, Ancaster and Hamilton Mountain,” Dr. Brian McKenna with the Hamilton Family Health Team said.

The top five causes of premature deaths in 2021 were ischemic heart disease, lung cancer, unintentional poisoning, colorectal cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases.

The report stated that nearly half of premature deaths among could potentially be avoided through “population health and primary prevention efforts.”

It added that unintentional poisonings, primarily from drug overdoses such as opioid use, are “driving substantial increases in premature mortality and potential years of life lost among city residents.”

Hamilton residents are expected to live to be 81.3 years, below the Ontario average for life expectancy (82.6 years) based on 2015-2017 estimates.