Kayla Overfelt

HLTH 100

Public Health Community Trends

           

            I had the opportunity to contact a public health professional working in St. George, Utah to investigate some of the prominent health issues affecting my hometown. To better examine the specific health trends of St. George I called Sue Richman—an RN working at Dixie Regional Medical Center—who is currently employed in my future “dream job” as a labor and delivery nurse. This paper will present five of the leading public health trends in my hometown of St. George; specifically, the leading health trends in Washington County that are most commonly seen within my desired field of work—labor and delivery nursing. The following five trends that will be reviewed include: (1) specific populations affected by health issues; (2) high blood pressure; (3) kidney stones; (4) gestational diabetes; and (5) sexually transmitted diseases in addition to vaginal infections.

            One of the first trends that I was interested in looking into was that of the population. In order to gain a better understanding about the health trends in my hometown I decided to start by investigating the type of people that live in Washington County. To do this I asked Sue if she could tell me which specific populations of individuals were most affected by various health issues in St. George. After talking with Sue, I discovered that the majority of individuals admitted to the hospital (for all-causes) are generally Caucasians between 20 and 40 years of age. About ninety percent of Washington County is Caucasian; hence, almost all of Dixie Regional Medical Center’s patients are white (CDC). Taking this information into consideration, I was then able to inquire about some of the more specific health issues or trends affecting Washington County.   

            One specific health trend that is raising concern globally is the increasing number of individuals with high blood pressure. Sue informed me that high blood pressure was one of the most common trends among patients at Dixie Regional Medical Center. She also notified me that the number or incidence of patients being admitted to the hospital with high blood pressure was steadily increasing. High blood pressure or hypertension is believed to affect nearly 1 in 4 Utah adults (Utah Department of Health). This is a major concern, not only for Washington County and St. George, but for the entire state of Utah because hypertension contributes to Utah’s leading cause of death—heart disease. Reducing the incidence of hypertension should be a focus of public health professionals because high blood pressure and its associated diseases cost the state millions of dollars in medical costs.

            Another community trend that Sue has taken note of lately is the number of individuals coming to the hospital with kidney stones. Kidney stones, hard mineral material formed in the kidneys, are caused by several different factors. Anyone can develop kidney stones; however, the formation of kidney stones is most commonly seen in individuals with certain diseases, conditions, and/or individuals who are on certain medications. Sue was not exactly sure why there has been an increase in kidney stones at Dixie Medical Regional Center, but she speculates that medications may be one of the key contributors. Although the exact reason for this rise in kidney stone diagnosis has not been identified, health care professionals can use this observation as a basis for commencing epidemiologic studies to help determine what might me causing this trend in Washington County.

            The last two trends that Sue mentioned are trends observed specifically in her area of work as a labor and delivery nurse. The first of these trends is gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that is diagnosed in pregnant women. This form of diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy, however if it does not go away, the individual is often diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Women who have had gestational diabetes have a 35% to 60% chance of developing diabetes in the next 10–20 years.” The prevalence of diabetes in the United States is a concern because diabetes contributes to a whole host of other health conditions and complications. Health care professionals must work on preventing the spread of this trend. They can do this by helping individuals reduce their risk for diabetes by teaching them how to maintain a healthy weight and how to make healthy lifestyle choices.

The second labor and delivery trend that Sue brought to my attention was the occurrence of sexual diseases such as Chlamydia, in addition to the occurrence of infections—vaginal infections. One thing that most patients with these conditions have in common is socioeconomic status. Sue reminded me that most female patients with sexually transmitted diseases or vaginal infections fall into a low socioeconomic group or class. These individuals generally receive lower incomes, which limits their education and ultimately results in a poorer quality of life. It is essential that public health care professionals work with women of all socioeconomic classes, especially those in a lower socioeconomic class, to teach them how to properly take care of themselves so that they can better take care of their families.

 Lao Tzu once said, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.” This is what we must do as public health care professionals; we must teach individuals how to change their lifestyle and how to make healthy choices so that they can enjoy a greater quality of life. This assignment has really helped me become more aware of the conditions in my hometown. As a future health care professional I know that it will be my responsibility to teach those around me how to live for a lifetime.