Health Trends: Alyson Johnson

Alyson Johnson

Public Health Trends

Bob England: Maricopa County Department of Public Health Directory

Maricopa County, Arizona

     For this assignment, I chose to learn more about five of the underlying death trends in Maricopa County.  I chose this county because it is where I am originally from and I thought death trends would be interesting because that is typically not something that I would want to learn more about.

Obesity:  Many people all over the United States struggle with obesity right now.  Obesity causes the community $1 billion dollars alone because of medical related causes.  Maricopa is doing their best to find evidence for solutions to this growing problem.  Maricopa is trying to promote healthy living habits because not only will it make their citizens feel better but it will also bring down the spending costs to help further prevent this.  Obesity is a chronic disease-- Chronic diseases account for 70% of all deaths.

Flu Vaccinations:  Maricopa County has been working with Mollen Immunizations in order to give each child the opportunity to have the flu vaccination.  The flu is very common and can be prevented with proper treatment.  With more children vaccinated that means more children in class which leads to more money for schools which can lead children to a brighter future.  More children vaccinated also leads to less flu in the community and a healthier community as a whole.

Distracted Driving:  This is very common throughout all of the United States.  Texting and driving is a huge problem in our society and we are constantly trying to find new ways to prevent this disastrous habit.  Not only is this a problem with teens, but with adults as well.  Technology has made it so easy for us to break this law on a daily basis.  Promoting safe habits and showing our community the negative consequences of this habit are some of the few things that are done regularly to try to stop this problem.

Immigration:  Immigration (legal and illegal) is a huge trend in Arizona because they are a border state.  A downside to immigration is that many of the illegal immigrants come and agree to work for lower wages, increasing the amount of Americans unemployed.  Some illegal immigrants also have diseases when they come and end up spreading them.  Illegal immigrants put their children in schools as well, making the classroom size larger and making it difficult to receive the one-on-one time that some children need.  On the bright side of immigration, they bring other cultures and languages to Arizona-- making it a more diverse state.

WIC: WIC stands for The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.  This program is used quite often to help pregnant women, new mothers, and young children make good food choices and stay healthy.  WIC can help families can get help for breastfeeding, health and medical services, nutrition, and advice for saving money.  There are trained employees ready to answer questions and public resources and well as professional resources willing to help those who are in need.  You must qualify in order to receive help from this program.