Assessment details health factors affecting Delaware County residents
Area residents are making significant progress toward improving their personal health and the health of the community in general, according to a new report.
More than 300 local business, healthcare and community leaders learned the results of the first Community Health Needs Assessment done for Delaware County in nearly a decade.
Cardinal Health System, the BMH Foundation, and the Delaware County Health Department engaged ABG, an Indianapolis-based business consulting firm which provided the last assessment in 1998, to conduct the study. ABG released its findings earlier today at the Horizon Convention Center in a report titled, “Assessing the Health of Delaware County 2006.” The presentation was followed by responses from BMH, The County Health Department, the United Way and the Chamber of Commerce.
The key areas of the study are divided into environment, behavioral and disease factors affecting the community’s health.
“There are many positives in the assessment, including a reduction in smoking and greater awareness of preventative health awareness in our community,” said Brent Batman, president, Ball Memorial Hospital. “We also welcome the opportunities to continue our efforts to improve access to healthcare, and address other needs that have been revealed about our community.”
Increased awareness of the dangers of smoking, along with community offerings of smoking cessation and prevention programs, appear to have made a dent in the smoking rate, which declined but remains at 25 percent. CHS made Ball Memorial Hospital and its other properties smoke-free one year ago.
Other positive findings include residents taking greater steps to obtain preventative medicine, such as flu shots and immunizations, and screenings tested higher than state or national averages. Data also indicated a decrease in the use of alcohol with no increases in binge or chronic drinking.
Demographic and socioeconomic analysis of Delaware County detailed some negative factors which might contribute to poor health among residents. Research shows a slightly older, less affluent population with greater unemployment than state and national averages, and a decline in the percentage of residents with healthcare insurance coverage.
These factors might point to an overall worsening of county residents’ perceived health since 1996, with data showing increased incidence of most diseases, trending ahead of Indiana and the United States. Surveyors also found substantial increases in hypertension, high cholesterol, child abuse, obesity, diabetes and Chlamydia.
“Everyone can play a role in reversing the direction of health in our community,” said Bob Jones of the Delaware County Board of Health. “Cardinal Health System, local government and United Way organizations are vital participants in getting residents to providers, establishing checkups and providing a healthy example for younger generations.”
Primary data was obtained through a telephone survey of 972 Delaware County residents using a 2005 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) used by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the state of Indiana. Secondary data was collected from the CDC, the National Center of Health Statistics, the Indiana State Department of Health and the U.S. Census Bureau. Medical data on disease incidence, symptoms and behavioral risk factors was compiled from county health suppliers including BMH, BMH clinics and physician data.
