The average age at death in Arizona varied by more than 55 years in 2000, according to a recently released state report.

In Colorado City, where children make up more than half the population, the average age at death was 35, reports the Arizona Department of Health Services in its first Community Health Profile. The report is a compilation of health statistics for 87 incorporated municipalities across the state.

Of the seven deaths in Colorado City, two were infants, two were children between the ages of 1-9 and three were adults more than 55 years old, making the average age at death 35 years old, DHS said.

“I can’t believe that,” said Dr. Lehi Barlow, a member of the Mohave County Board of Health who tends to Colorado City patients at a clinic in Hildale, Utah.

“Sometimes they just make up numbers,” Colorado City Mayor Daniel Barlow said.

Average Age Of Death In Arizona Is 71.6

In contrast, the average age at death was 90.5 in Gila Bend and 90.6 in Tolleson, communities where an average 37 per cent of the population was 35 and older, and children under 15 years old made up about 25 per cent of the population.

For all of Arizona, the average age at death in 2000 was 71.6.

DHS officials said the death statistics reflect the population demographics in each community, and the average age at death in Colorado City, which is in the northwest part of Mohave County near the Utah state line, is not unusual given that 52.2 per cent of the community’s 3,334 residents were younger than 15.

“We have to be cautious when we look at small numbers,” said Emma Viera, a DHS analyst.

The DHS report categorized 71.4 per cent of the seven Colorado City deaths in 2000 as “premature mortality,” based on life expectancy of 76.9 years for all U.S. residents in 2000.

Congenital deformity and profuse bleeding were listed as the causes of death of two Colorado City infants. A third child died of a neurological condition, and a fourth succumbed to encephalitis, Ms. Viera said.

In 1999, Colorado City had three deaths, all children: one infant, one child between ages 1-4 and one child between 5-14-year-old, she said.

Forty-nine of every 1,000 Colorado City females ages 10-19 gave birth in 2000, and of the 133 births that year, almost 24 per cent were low birth weight or pre-term babies, DHS reported.

Dr. Barlow said he had not seen the DHS report, but questioned its accuracy. It depends on how the state defines low birth weight and pre-term, he said.

Additionally, two mothers had no prenatal care during their pregnancies, and 29 had no prenatal care during their first trimester.

DHS reported that 36.5 per cent of Colorado City two-year-olds had received immunizations, compared with 74.2 per cent statewide.

Colorado City, where 92 per cent of the population was no older than 44 in 2000, and nearby Hildale, Utah, have been the targets of elected officials from both states, who met behind closed doors Aug. 23 for a “polygamy summit” in St. George, Utah. They discussed child safety and sex abuse, potential legislation and penalties for bigamy, which is outlawed in both states, but practiced in the two communities.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard and Sen. Linda Binder, R-Dist. 3, vice chairwoman of the Senate Health Committee, attended the meeting, but offered no comments afterward.

Mohave County Supervisor Pete Byers told Arizona Capitol Times that Colorado City and Hildale are considered one community that crosses state lines, with a population of approximately 7,000.

“It’s the buzz thing to bash them,” Mr. Beyers said. “I’m not a Colorado City basher.”

Other Cities

In Gila Bend, with a 2000 population of 1,980, there were 38 deaths, 22 of which were people 65 and older, and the average age at death was 90.5. Accidents claimed six lives, and cancer and cardiovascular disease accounted for 17 deaths. There were no infant deaths, and one person between the ages of 15-24 died in 2000.

The average age of death in Phoenix in 2000 was 67.9, and in Tucson it was 72.

DHS reported that the premature mortality rate in Phoenix was 57.3 per cent, compared with 50.6 per cent in Tucson.

Ms Viera said DHS is analyzing the health profiles, but will not be able to detect trends or reach conclusions about the health of the state until after profiles are completed for 2002 and 2003.

FYI

The report can be seen on the Arizona Department of Health Services Web site, www.hs.state.az.us.

“These profiles give communities an opportunity to discover strengths, problems, and needs. We hope we are laying the groundwork for positive change,” said Arizona Department of Health Services Director Catherine Eden. —