Reply to each students discussion post 2-3 paragraphs

Respond to at least two of your fellow students discussion posts. These responses must include a journal, news, or website article that critically reflects and pertains to the points of the initial post. You can either agree, disagree, or elaborate using these sources.

Ronald Magsino (students name)

In my discussion, I will be assessing San Diego county and the trends that are present with their health outcomes related to malignant neoplasms and heart disease.  In a report published by the Community Health Statistics Unit of the San Diego County Health and Services Agency, over 19.3% of deaths in the year 2021 were due to malignant neoplasms which are cancerous tumors that include: carcinomas, myelomas, sarcomas, and more (County of San Diego HHSA, 2021).  In the same report, heart disease was reported to be the cause of over 19% of the San Diegan population.  Taking this information into context, one in every five deaths that occurred in San Diego was caused by either cancerous tumors or heart disease.  Looking further outward, within the state of California, cancer and heart disease remain the two leading causes of death within California (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021).  In a report published by the National Health Center for Statistics of the CDC, deaths attributed to cancer or malignant neoplasms reported close to 60,000 out of a 100,000 total population in the study (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021).  In the same report, the deaths attributed to heart disease is over 65,000 deaths within a 100,000 total population pool. 

 The death rates for these two health outcomes are significantly larger on a state level in comparison to San Diego County.  It is important to consider the main causes for these health outcomes if we are to find solutions to minimizing the rate of deaths that occur by these health outcomes.  For example, forming targeted interventions that focus on making adjustments within lifestyle behaviors that include: increasing daily energy expenditure, reducing tobacco use, and healthier dietary choices, may help in reducing the amount of deaths that arise from cancer and heart disease.  In fact, a study published by the Public Health Reviews journal revealed that public health interventions conducted in Asian countries, where cardiovascular heart diseases were prominent, yielded significant results in changing attitudes towards healthier living and helped to reduce measurements of blood sugar and blood pressure of participants (Ndejjo, R., et. al, 2021).  These interventions focused on health education and the promotion of uptaking practices that aided in the prevention of diseases related to heart disease.  

When looking to tackle the health outcomes within San Diego county and the state of California, it is important that we are able to acknowledge the handful of causes that lead to the increasing rates of heart disease and cancer within the populations that are present in these regions.  By looking to implement interventions that mostly target the spread of health education, health awareness, and overall public health, that may help improve the rates of death that occur by illnesses related to cancer or heart disease. 

References

County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency. Leading causes of death among san diego residents, 2021.  https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/chsu/viz/LeadingCausesofDeathamongSanDiegoCountyResidentsDashboard_16757921797590/SDCountyDashboard . June 2, 2023. 

National Center for Health Statistics. Heart disease mortality by state, 2021.  https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/heart_disease_mortality/heart_disease.htm . June 2, 2023. 

National Center for Health Statistics. Cancer mortality by state, 2021.  https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/cancer_mortality/cancer.htm . June 2, 2023. 

Ndejjo, R., Hassen, H. Y., Wanyenze, R. K., Musoke, D., Nuwaha, F., Abrams, S., Bastiaens, H., & Musinguzi, G. (2021). Community-Based Interventions for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Low-and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.  Public health reviews,  42, 1604018.  https://doi.org/10.3389/phrs.2021.1604018

less

Richard Williams (students name)

Epidemiology in Community Health Assessment

Community health assessments (CHAs) are important in outlining the most pertinent community health issues and developing an appropriate health improvement plan for the community. One approach for conducting CHAs is by comparing the target community with the state or national outcomes to determine areas of improvement. This initial CHA focuses on Virginia Beach and Norfolk in Virginia and compares epidemiology data in the two cities with Virginia state averages. When compared to the Virginia epidemiology data, the two cities have sexually transmitted diseases and obesity rates as two main health challenges.

Sexually transmitted diseases is an indicator of sexual and reproductive health. The incidence of new sexually transmitted diseases is estimated by various community health epidemiology resources. In Norfolk, VA, the community dashboard indicates that the 2021 incidence rates of chlamydia were 1240.5 per 100,000 people (Greater Hampton Roads, 2021). This is a very high score compared to the Virginia state incidence rate of 479.9 per 100,000 population (County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, 2023). In Virginia Beach, VA, the incidence rate is 628.5 (County Health Rankings and Roadmaps, 2023). In both Virginia Beach and Norfolk, there are high comparative sexually transmitted diseases incidence but Norfolk is more affected than Virginia Beach. Sexually transmitted infections is thus an area of concern and potential community health improvement planning.

The second topic is obesity and the data indicates the two cities also have a comparatively higher rate of obesity. Data on obesity was obtained from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). 34.2% of the people in Virginia are obese (BMI of 30.0 and above). In comparison, 37.4% of the people in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News Metropolitan Statistical Area are obese (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2021). This statistical area includes both Virginia Beach and Norfolk, VA. In comparison, the metropolitan area has a higher rate of obesity compared to the state averages. Therefore, obesity is also another health challenge in this area for which a health improvement plan could be developed.  

Comparison of data between the local community and state epidemiologic data can allow to outline priority issues in that community. Data obtained from different sites have shown that Virginia Beach and Norfolk have higher incidence rates of sexually transmitted infections and higher obesity rates than Virginia State. The next step is to identify potential contributing factors. Such factors can be outlined in a more detailed and qualitative assessment of the communities including resources available, environmental, and population-based risk factors. This presents the platform for further planning on the identified priority issues.

 

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). BRFSS Prevalence and Trends Data.  https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/brfssprevalence/

County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. (2023). Virginia Beach City, VA. https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/explore-health-rankings/virginia/virginia-beach-city?year=2023

Greater Hampton Roads. (2021). Chlamydia incidence rates: Norfolk City, VA.  https://www.ghrconnects.org/indicators/index/view?indicatorId=206&localeId=2991&localeFilterId=281263