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Health begins where we live, learn, play and work.
Disease arises from a complex mixture of our genetic heritage,
the life choices we make and the choices that our environments
impose on us.
Life expectancy for both men (79.0 years) and women (82.4 years)
in Christchurch is slightly higher than the national figures of
78.0 and 82.2 respectively. Life expectancy is affected by
socio-economic deprivation: in 2005-2007 males in the least
deprived areas in New Zealand could expect to live 8.8 years longer
than males in the most deprived (82.1 versus 73.3). For
females the difference was 6.6 years which is still
substantial (84.6 versus 78.7).
There are also marked ethnic differences in life expectancy. In
2005-07 male life expectancy at birth was 79.0 years for
non-Maori, while for Maori it was 75.1. Female life expectancy
at birth was 83.0 years for non-Maori and 75.1 for Maori.
Disease not only causes illness, it also costs many millions of
dollars
Some of the major diseases that cause our communities
considerable personal distress and have significant economic and
social costs associated with them. Several of these
diseases are listed in this section. We are especially
interested on the diseases that can be prevented though good
environmental decision making that supports better lifestyle
choices.