Poor health outcomes generally correlate with poverty, poor access to preventative health care, lifestyle choices and education. Early and continued access to quality, affordable health care is important to ensure that Silicon Valley’s residents are healthy and prosperous. For example, timely childhood immunizations promote long-term health, save lives, prevent significant disability, and reduce medical costs. Health care is expensive, and individuals with health insurance are more likely to seek routine medical care and to take advantage of preventative health-screening services.

Infant mortality rates and obesity are fundamental indicators of public health. Over the past two decades, obesity has risen dramatically in the United States and its occurrence is not limited to adults. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke and some types of cancers. These conditions have significant economic impacts on the nation’s health care system as well as the overall economy due to declines in production. Providing care to family members or friends impacts all age and social groups, and will become increasingly important as Baby Boomers age, impacting caregivers’ ability to work and engage in other activities.

The percentage of kindergarten students who have received all required immunizations in Silicon Valley has consistently outranked the state. During the 2011-12 school year, Silicon Valley kindergarten immunization rates edged up to 93.5 percent. Immunization rates in the state showed slight improvement, reaching 91 percent.

Across all categories, more Silicon Valley residents are covered by health insurance plans than California as a whole. Of employed Silicon Valley residents between the ages of 18 to 64, 87 percent had health insurance in 2011, compared to 78 percent statewide. For unemployed Silicon Valley residents, only 62 percent of individuals aged 18-64 had health insurance whereas 96 percent of individuals over the age of 65 were covered. From 2010 to 2011 health insurance rates were fairly consistent across age and employment groups in Silicon Valley, though health insurance coverage increased for both 18 to 64 year olds not in the labor force and employed residents over 65, while health insurance decreased by two percent for unemployed individuals over 65.

Silicon Valley continues to report a lower infant mortality rate than the state overall. From 2009 to 2010, the infant mortality rate in the region dropped significantly, from 3.7 to 2.9 per 1,000 live births. California rates declined slightly from 4.9 to 4.7. Since 1994 infant mortality rates have steadily declined in the state, falling by 2.3 deaths per 1,000 live births. Silicon Valley rates have varied, but dropped by a similar 2.2 deaths over the same time period.

Silicon Valley maintains lower student obesity levels than the state as a whole, while rates in both regions have remained stable since 2005. Silicon Valley levels dropped slightly in 2010 to 33.1 percent of the student population categorized as overweight or obese compared to 38 percent statewide.

Adult obesity levels have fluctuated in Silicon Valley since 2001, but remain below state levels. In 2009, overweight rates in the region fell to 29.7 percent, while the percentage of obese adults reached a decade high (18.8%). The proportion of the adult population statewide that is obese similarly increased to a high of 22.7 percent in 2009. For both Silicon Valley and California, declines in the proportion of overweight adults have been partially offset by increases in the proportion of obese adults. In an effort to combat obesity, Silicon Valley policy makers have launched initiatives including "Let's Move Silicon Valley Businesses", whose goal is to encourage businesses to adopt workplace wellness programs for employees and their families.

Of the caregivers in Silicon Valley, over half (60%) are between the ages of 40 and 64. In 2009, 22 percent of Silicon Valley adults and 23 percent of California adults provided care to a family member or friend with an illness or disability in that year. Over a third (34%) of Silicon Valley residents between the ages of 53 and 64 are caregivers, compared to 30 percent in the state. The majority (53%) of Silicon Valley caregivers also work full time, slightly higher than the state average. More than a third of caregivers in the region are unemployed, including retired persons.

• Kindergarten Immunizations
• Percentage of Population with Health Insurance
• Infant Mortality Rate
• Percentage of Student Population that is Overweight or Obese
• Percentage of Adult Population that is Overweight or Obese
• Age of Silicon Valley Caregivers
• Work Status of Caregivers