Chelsey Clark- Community Trends

                I had the opportunity to speak with Carrie Bennet who works for the Utah County Health Department.  She specifically works with the Safety/Injury Prevention and works a lot with the Stepping on Program directed to elderly to prevent injuries from falls.

As I asked her to tell me about the top 5 health trends or patters that are affecting the health of our community she told me she could give me the top four injury cases from the ages of 0 to 14 years of age and also the elderly that she works with.

                First. There are 12 deaths annually in Utah County from unintentional suffocation.  This most often occurs when parents lay down with child in bed and unintentionally roll on top of them. Another way children suffocate are when an infant is entrapped or wedged between a mattress and another object. Suffocation can also happen when strangled in rails or openings on beds that a child is able to pass through and entrap their head.

                Second. Poisoning. Carrie Bennet deals with poison prevention with children and older adults. She mentioned how poisoning happens a lot with older adults and prescription overdoes from not understanding how to take medication. This can be a major problem in doctor visits if elderly patients don’t get the attention and help they need. One thing we talked about in one of my classes this semester is how a poison can be any substance that can harm the body. Therefore, drinking too much water can be considered a poison. Proper education on poisoning is a great way to promote public health and control poisoning.

                 Third. Motor Vehicle Crashes. Carrie Bennet said this does not necessarily lead to death for children. One of the things Carrie does is holds car seat classes that teach the basics of child passenger safety. Some of the things she addresses are: crash tests, correct installation, misuse, height and weight requirements, and different types of car seats. The CDC states, “Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of death in the US.” One way public health deals with this is improving car seats, promoting seat belt use, and reducing driving while under the influence.  

                Fourth. Injury falls. As stated above Carrie Bennet is involved with the Stepping on Program.  This is a fall prevention program with local guest experts that included physical therapists, eye experts and pharmacists. A fact found on Utah County Health Department is, "The leading cause of injury-related deaths for males 80 and older and females 75 and older is falls.” This is a big concern in our community.  One of the best ways Carrie Bennet talked about to help prevent falls is to help the elderly improve muscle mass.