Emily Kapral - Public Health Trends in Connecticut

For this assignment, I researched the top five Public Health trends in the district of my hometown.  I am from Bloomfield, Connecticut and was able to correspond with Steve Huleatt, who is the local health director for the West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District.  My mother works for the Department of Public Health for the State of Connecticut, so she was a big help when I was looking for Public Health officials from my hometown.  Mr. Huleatt suggested that the top five trends right now in our district are:

1.  Sexually transmitted disease – specifically incidence of gonorrhea and chlamydia.  Chlamydia is the most commonly reported STD in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Chlamydia and gonorrhea are generally easy to cure, but when left untreated they can gravely affect a woman’s fertility. In 2009, Hartford County had the most reported cases of Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis in the state of Connecticut.  Abstinence is listed as “the most reliable way to avoid infection”.  Programs that educate and encourage healthy behavior might help this issue

2.  Heart disease – concern for all population, but monitoring the trend of increased of heart disease in women.  The CDC’s website mentions that the most common type of heart disease in the United States is coronary artery disease.  Tobacco and alcohol use, obesity, physical inactivity, and a diet high in saturated fat are all factors that increase the risk of heart disease.  The Go Red for Women campaign, partnered with the American Heart Association, is attempting to spread the word about the number one killer of women, which is heart disease.  Heart disease is the number one cause of death in Connecticut.

3.  Food borne illness – food safety remains a leading cause of GI illness.  Many different pathogens can contaminate foods. That’s why there are so many different foodborne infections.  Connecticut has a project called FoodNet that consists of active surveillance for foodborne diseased.  Salmonella and Norovirus are some of the most common foodborne diseases.

4.  Diet and Nutrition – impact on chronic disease such as diabetes, heart health and certain cancers.  When making food choices, it is important to consider the amount of fat, cholesterol and carbohydrates.  A poor diet can be a risk factor for chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.  Diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death in Connecticut.  6.9% of adults in Connecticut have been diagnosed with diabetes and it is estimated that as many as 93,000 have undiagnosed diabetes.

5.  Safe and decent housing – specifically maintenance standards, lead paint exposure, moisture incursion contributing to mold and mildew, proper heating and ventilation.  The National Center for Healthy Housing suggested that there are seven tips for creating a healthy home: dry, clean, safe, pest free, well ventilated, contaminant free, and well maintained.  The CDC suggests that increasing the availability of safe, affordable, and accessible homes may help to reduce health disparities.