Brooke Porter

Public Health Trends

Cascade County, MT

I talked to Alicia Thompson, a Health Officer for the Cascade County Health department in my home state of Montana. It was interesting to hear about the top trends from my home and how they are influencing me and my family.

Obesity

According to the CDC 35.7% of American adults are obese. Montana has a very low prevalence of obesity with 24.6% of Montana adults obese compared to other states. Although the prevalence of obesity in Montana is lower than the nation’s average, health officials in Cascade County are still worried about the disease. They understand the complications that arise from obesity including lifestyle challenges and financial burdens. They are working hard to implement programs to combat the prevalence of obesity.

Tobacco Usage

Whether its cigarettes or chew, health officials are worried about the trend of tobacco use in Cascade County. Montana residents are exposed to tobacco at very young ages. Tobacco use is a social norm among residents, and with its addictive nature it will be no easy feat to lower the prevalence of its usage. Officials are working hard to teach young students about the consequences of tobacco use. Not only are they informing public schools, but they are also targeting adults with television and billboard advertisements.

STDs

The prevalence of STDs in Cascade County is on the rise. Cascade County is tied with Yellowstone County (another county in MT) for the highest rates of Chlamydia in Montana. With such a high percentage, the health department is working on combating the spread of Chlamydia. High school health education teachers are working hard to teach students about the importance of abstinence and safe sex. They are discussing the most common STDs and the effects of each. They are hoping that educating the young generation can be a good fight against the disease.  

Pertussis

Just like the rest of the nation, Montana has seen an increase in the incidence of Pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough. For the past 5 years Montana has had no incidences of pertussis. This year alone there have been 20 cases. This dramatic increase was quite shocking. Alicia mentioned there are two main reasons for the surge of pertussis cases. 1) People are not up to date on immunizations. 2) Through easy traveling such as air plane flights, the spread of disease is very rapid from place to place.

Environmental Equality

This final trend surprised and confused me. I didn’t understand what she mean buy environmental equality. Alicia explained how the county health department is working to undo or fix the environmental damage of certain areas due to industry. In some areas there are high levels of lead and chemicals in the soil. In one particular place, Monarch, MT, there is an old mining site with a lot of environmental toxins. The officials are working hard to eliminate exposures and make a clean environment for everyone.