Are Canadians healthier than Americans?

In the Pacific Northwest, at least, they are. That’s according to the February 2009 Cascadia Scorecard:

British Columbia leads the Pacific Northwest in several critical long-term trends, including human health, energy effiiciency, and smart growth, reported the Cascadia Scorecard, a regional progress report released today by Sightline Institute.

…British Columbia residents live an average of 81.6 years, two years longer than residents of the Northwest states and topping all other North American states and provinces. In fact, if BC were an independent nation, it would have the second longest lifespan in the world, after Japan, and be tied with Iceland.

The healthiest jurisdiction in British Columbia is the suburban city of Richmond, BC, where lifespans exceed 84 years.

What makes British Columbians so healthy? The Cascadia report goes on to say:

British Columbians’ success in leading long, healthy lives results not from one single cause, but from many. None of the province’s inhabitants goes without health insurance — unlike the 1 in 7 residents of the Northwest states who do so each year.

BC also has lower rates of violent deaths: fewer homicides and also fewer fatal car crashes, the latter largely due to compact communities that allow residents to drive less.

Even economics may play a role. On average, residents of the province aren’t as wealthy as their American counterparts, but the income and wealth gaps between the rich and the poor are narrower. Around the world, an unequal economic structure tends to be associated with poor health.

Other factors, including lower rates of severe obesity compared with the Northwest states, may also play a role.