Jennifer Picardo

Public Health Trends for Douglas County, Colorado
By: Jennifer Picardo

I was able to speak with Gary Sky a Public Information Officer about the public health trends affecting people living in Douglas County, CO. There are around 290,000 people living in this county which accounts for roughly 5% of the total population of Colorado.

1. One trend in the the county deals with chronic diseases.  Cancer is now the leading cause of death in Douglas county, compared with heart disease being the leading cause of death in the United States.  Before 2006 however, heart disease was the leading cause of death in Douglas county but has since been replaced by cancer. Specifically lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for both men and women in Douglas County. However, cancer rates have decreased in the county over the past decade and the rates did meet the US Healthy People 2010 target of 158.6 deaths per 100,000 population with a rate of 128.7 deaths per 100,000.

2. Another trend concerning chronic diseases deals with heart disease.  Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Douglas County.  The most common heart disease is coronary heart disease which can lead to heart attacks and other health complications. Risk factors for heart disease include smoking, having high blood pressure and high cholesterol, lack of exercise, improper nutrition, diabetes and obesity. Despite this being the second leading cause of death, the rates of heart disease in Douglas County are well below the national heart disease death rate.

3. Another trend seen among Douglas County citizens has to do with changing demographics.  Douglas county is the fastest growing county in Colorado and had a 62.4% increase in population between 2000 to 2010.  Douglas County is also the 16th fasting growing county in the nation.  The population is also an aging one.  During the years 2000-2010 the population of people aged 65 and older increased by 177.8%. So now seniors make up 7.1% of the Douglas County population.  This is important for public health officials to know, so more programs and efforts can be focused on aspects of geriatric prevention and care.

4. The fourth trend deals with land use and health. In 2010 the Tri-County Health Department, which includes Douglas County, received a two year $10.5 million grant to address the problem of obesity within three counties in Colorado. The money is being spent on efforts to improve eating healthier and to making physical activity easier.  In schools new policies have been implemented to increase healthy food options. Also, there has been installation of community gardens, improved playgrounds, and more bike and walking paths to encourage healthier living.

5. The fifth trend in Douglas County deals with infectious diseases.  In August of 2011, there was an outbreak of listeria in cantaloupes.  The outbreak was linked to a farm in Colorado.  A total of 146 infections and 30 deaths were reported from 28 states; in Colorado 40 people were sickened with listeriosis and 8 people died.  The amount of people affected by this outbreak in Colorado was huge and this was the deadliest foodborne illness outbreak in the U.S. in 25 years. Although this occurred over a year ago it is still an important event as it pushes the need for better environmental and occupational health standards within Douglas County and other counties in Colorado.  The farms in Colorado need to better follow health and sanitation guidelines and supervision and inspection efforts can now be looked at and improved upon for the future.