Many in Santa Cruz County assume that Santa Cruz is more health conscious and more physically fit than the southern part of the county. According to the results from a recent survey commissioned by the Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust, they’re right.
On Tues. Nov. 22, a quality of life survey of 400 residents from North County (Santa Cruz, Capitola, Soquel and Aptos) and South County (Pajaro, Freedom and Watsonville) revealed that, indeed, South County is less physically fit and has more cases of diabetes and obesity than its more affluent and more white counterpart.
Raquel Ramirez Ruiz, director of programs at the Health Trust, managed this year’s survey. She point to the fact that respondents in Pajaro Valley are concerned with gangs and safety—61 percent versus only 32 percent of North County respondents.
Ruiz explains, “In South County, there is a higher concern for crime and gangs, so people might not feel safe to go outside and exercise, which plays into the lower levels of physical activities, which affects higher rates of obesity and diabetes as well.”
Another factor that lowers the quality of life in Pajaro Valley is the work day: more people work late hours, so they may not have enough time to exercise or cook a healthy meal.
And finally, the number of respondents in Pajaro Valley with health insurance is 10 percent lower than in North County. Says Ruiz, “More residents in the Pajaro Valley don’t have access to health insurance for a variety of reasons: low income, not as many jobs that offer health insurance and a higher unemployment rate.”
The unemployment rate in Watsonville now is 22 percent, which is twice the rate of Santa Cruz at 11 percent.
However, the percentage of respondents with health insurance actually went up from 69 percent in 2007 to 75 percent this year, in contrast to North County, which went down about 7 percent.
Ruiz speculates it went up in Pajaro Valley in light of health care reform. “Parents are able to extend their health insurance to their kids up to 26 years of age and younger,” she says. Before reform, the age limit was 24 for students.
Ruiz says surveys such as this one are good at gauging the needs of the community. She adds, “We hope to share the data with various programs to help decrease these disparities that exist in our communities.”
