Kaylee Banner - Health Trends In Canyon County, Idaho

I had the opportunity to speak with Bruce Krosch (CPM), a representative in Idaho’s Southwest District of Health. I was able to learn of some very interesting trends concerning those living in Canyon County. The main trends I was informed of will be discussed in the following areas: chronic disease, demographics, health care, and the social determinants of health.

The first trend a chronic disease, specifically regarding Diabetes. Diabetes is a health problem nationwide, but in Canyon County there is research that provides results of the HbA1c test among diabetic. This test helps determine how well diabetics are managing their diabetes. It tests the average level of blood glucose over the past three months. In Canyon County the Percentage of diabetic Medicare enrollees receiving HbA1c test is 82.13% while the percentage of Idaho as whole is 79.48% and the average percentage is 81.71%.

The next trend in the county is part of the demographics. One of the major problems Canyon County faces is the number of early age pregnancy for teens aged 15-19 years old per 1,000 teens.  The average number per 1000 teens is 39.5, but for Canyon County the numbers climb to 72.2. Not only is this a concern for health outcomes but the health of the mother and child are affected.  Often teen pregnancies result in preterm births and or low birth rates. One of the major indicators of teen pregnancy is to promote responsible/healthy sexual relationships.

Another demographic trend is the percentage of those who get a 4-year college degree or higher among ages 25+.  The percentage for Idaho is 21.67 while the county’s percentage is 14.9%. The average percentage of those who get a 4-year college degree or higher is 27.06 which was surprising data to look at. This becomes a problem in the county because the chances of finding a good occupation to support your family are greatly reduced when all a person has for experience is a high school diploma. They also have greater chances of being on government support or becoming involved in crime is increased.

The fourth trend comes from the area of health care concerning the Primary Health Care Provider Rate. The numbers that came from this poll are represented by the amount per 100,000 people. In Idaho the rate of primary care providers is 99.35 with 58.28 in Canyon County and 145.8 being the average rate. For canyon county and Idaho as a whole these numbers are quite lower than they should be. Many people are struggling to get the needed amount of health care from their providers.

The fifth trend is within social determinants of health. One of the problems in this area is the number of children who are living in poverty.  In Canyon County this percentage is 19% with Idaho and 15.9%. It is very unfortunate that these children live within the means of almost nothing and have limited access to health resources and usually rely on the government for support. The poverty level is also associated with the low education levels and decreased ability of finding a stable job.