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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Michael A. Stoto, PhD, Statistics group and RAND Health, RAND, 1200 South Hayes St., Arlington, VA 22202-5050, 703-413-1100 x5472, mstoto@rand.org
The Metropolitan Washington Public Health Assessment Center at the George Washington University, in partnership with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Health Officers Committee, has produced a report presenting comparable health indicator data for nine jurisdictions. Taking a prevention perspective, the report presents data organized along the lines of the Leading Health Indicators in Healthy People 2010. Data for the local jurisdictions are drawn from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys, vital statistics, and other public health data sources.
The report reveals that overall the adult population of the Washington metropolitan area is healthier than the nation. For 19 of 27 indicators, the Washington region is doing better than the national average, and for coronary heart disease deaths and mammography rates the region already more than meets national targets for 2010. On some measures the region appears less healthy than the nation: AIDS, gonorrhea, and other STDs, tuberculosis, binge drinking and firearm-related deaths, and infant mortality and low birth weight.
The study also illustrates the region’s diversity, with every jurisdiction studied showing some strengths and some weaknesses. Even jurisdictions with higher average socioeconomic status face challenges in promoting health and preventing disease in pockets of poverty and among growing immigrant communities with varying cultural and linguistic characteristics. Finally, the report identifies several regional data needs, including the need for data comparable across jurisdictions on behavioral risk factors for adolescents and more data on risk factors for young children.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.