Public Health Community Trends in Arizona
Andee Shelton
Every year fewer babies in Arizona are being born due to
the poor economy. Many families feel that they cannot afford to have a
baby. Sheila Sjolander, assistant director of the Division of Public Health
Prevention at the Arizona Department of Health Services, said that a drop in
teen pregnancies has also contributed to the decline. “Young women and men are
being more planful about their pregnancies. In public health that’s a good
thing,” Sjolander said, “With more funding and programs aimed at teen pregnancy
prevention than ever. The state is now seeing the benefits of these efforts.”
On average, 29 Arizona residents die
every year from heat or sunstroke. All these deaths occur between May and
September. Excessive heat is ranked fifth among leading causes of accidental
deaths for Arizonans 65 and older. When exposed to the sun all persons are at
risk for hyperthermia. “Many risk factors for this are low fluid intake,
excessive exercise, alcohol or drug use, and prolonged outdoor activities,”
Catherine R. Eden, Director of Arizona Department of Health Services.
In the last
18 years the estimated prevalence of obesity in Arizona’s adult population has
more than doubled. In 2007, over 2000 visits were made to the hospital
diagnosed with morbid obesity. Individuals with a low yearly income are most
likely to be obese. Reporting poor health was 2.5 times more likely than a
report of excellent health. Catherine R. Eden says, “Arizona is ranked 35th
in the nation for obesity. That is not bad. We have set goals to eliminate the
growth, such as, have strict meal standards at schools, make physical education
important, and have complete street laws, making roads available to all users.”
The College
of Public Health Director, Mel Zuckerman states, “Although the majority of
Latinos in Arizona were born in the United States, the foreign born population
increased from 18 percent in 1980 to 33 percent in 2008. Since 1980 the
population of Arizona has went from the 29th largest state to the 14th
largest. California and Texas’ immigration laws have pushed immigrants to
Arizona. Latinos have grown significantly while the population of Caucasians
has declined.”
Approximately
800 people die from suicide in Arizona each year, ranking it top 10 in the
nation, and the number one cause of death in Arizona. This is double the number
of homicides. Yet most suicides are preventable. “With public discourse,
education, and awareness each individual can help reduce the frequency of
suicide in our community,” Nikki Kontz, Board President of Suicide Prevention,“The most important step in prevention
is recognition. With compassion and courage we can give a loved one hope in
time of despair.
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