Public Health Trends in Marin County California

Kate Kuykendall

Public Heath 100

For my assignment, I contacted Gary Najarian, the prevention hub coordinator at the Marin County Health Department in northern California.  I asked him if there were any public health trends that his department were especially concerned about at that time.  He said that there were quite a few major issues that the county was dealing with, but of certain concern are heart disease/stroke, breast cancer, binge drinking among adults/youth, lack of physical activity/obesity, and diabetes.

Heart disease has been a major concern in the past, and though the number of deaths from heart disease has dropped in the past 10 years, the health department is still concerned with the effect that heart disease has on other health related problems.  There are about 70 deaths from heart disease per 100,000 people in the county, which is much better than the 160 deaths per 100,000 people in 2001.  These numbers are also just mortality rates.  The rates of disease are extremely high in Marin County, and can lead to other health problems that are of concern to the department and can lead to death.

Breast Cancer is one of the most common types of cancer among women.  It forms in the tissues of the breast and can affect the ducts or lobules of the milk glands. Breast cancer in Marin County has risen over the years, and now peaks at 151 cases per 100,000 females.  It is mostly a concern in white female adults; however, there are still a fair amount of cases in Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders.

The percentage of teens who have abuse alcohol has risen to an all time high in Marin County.  Approximately 55% of teens living in this area have answered yes to the question “Did you ever have more than a few sips of any alcoholic drink, like beer, wine, mixed drinks, or liquor?”  These teens are more likely to abuse alcohol later in life than people who start drinking at the age of 21.  Overall, males are more likely to abuse alcohol than females, but the percentages for both are extremely high.  When comparing ethnicities, Asian populations have a higher percentage of drinking than others.

Physical activity among Marin County citizens has been steadily declining through the years.  In 2009, 61% of teens were exercising at least one hour on at least three or more days a week compared to 79% in 2007.  Males are more likely than females to engage in physical activity, while whites are more likely than Latinos to exercise daily.  These numbers concern the department because inactivity in childhood and adolescence increases the likelihood of inactivity and obesity in adulthood.  Inactivity is also linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

In Marin County, approximately 3.6% of adults have been diagnosed with diabetes at some time in their life.  This percent has stayed pretty constant over the years, and has slowly declined in the last few.  Minority groups and the elderly are more likely to be affected or diagnosed with diabetes than other groups.  Diabetes is found in about 6.8% of adults 65 years and older while males are more likely than females to be diagnosed.  Those with diabetes are at higher risk of heart disease and stroke.