Erin Brady: Health Trends for Women in Norfolk

Erin Brady

Public Health Trends for Women in Norfolk, Virginia

I was able to contact Dwayne Merritt, who is the Health Promotions Manager at the Norfolk Department of Public Health in Norfolk, Virginia, where I was born. He was able to give me some information on health trends that have to do with women, which is an area of public health that I am particularly interested in, specifically concerning infants and sexually-transmitted diseases. He was able to give me some statistics about changes in the health of pregnant mothers and in the birth of infants.

First of all, in Norfolk, there has been an increase in teenage pregnancies. This is unusual when compared to the rates of teenage pregnancies in neighboring cities such as Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, and Tidewater, which are significantly lower. There are increased risks for teenage pregnancies, because often they have a lack of adequate prenatal care, especially if they don't have support from their parents. Prenatal care is critical so that the child's growth can be monitored and health complications can be assessed and dealt with quickly. Pregnancy-induced hypertension, or high blood pressure, is also a much higher risk for pregnant teens than for adult expectant mothers, and it can cause swelling and organ damage. 

A second trend is an increase of premature births. It cannot really be determined what some of the causes for this increase in Norfolk is, but increased care can be given to prevent the health risks from this. When a baby is born prematurely, they are at least three weeks early. The smaller the baby is, the more likely it is that they will have more severe health complications. Babies that are born prematurely contribute a high portion of the infant deaths that occur, especially because important growth and development occurs for the infant in the final few weeks of the pregnancy. Because of the increase in premature babies in Norfolk, they must ensure that they have an adequate and efficient neonatal intensive care unit available. 

Thirdly, there has been a decrease in births with maternal gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is seen where there is an altered fetal environment during the fetus's development, and it is associated with a high birth weight. In some studies, maternal gestational diabetes in an infant have been correlated with an increased risk for obesity in adolescent years. However, it cannot be determined whether this is a causal factor for obesity, or just a risk marker that can be avoided through behavior changes. This trend in births in Norfolk is a positive indication that there might be lesser risks of adolescent obesity for children, since there are fewer cases of maternal gestational diabetes. 

A fourth trend in Norfolk related to women is that there has been an increased rate in reported gonorrhea cases. Gonorrhea is a sexually-transmitted infectious disease that can affect both men and women. One could be infected on their anus, mouth, throat, eyes or genitals. In women the bacteria could grow in their reproductive tract, cervix, uterus or fallopian tubes. If it is left untreated, it could affect a woman's ability to have children. In the US, the most commonly infected group of people are sexually-active teenagers; however, I do not have information on this for Norfolk specifically.

Another sexually-transmitted disease that has been more prevalent with women in Norfolk, especially compared to the amount of cases in the nearby cities, is HIV/AIDS. As most of us know, AIDS is a chronic disease that is potentially life-threatening that is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus. The HIV infection is transmitted sexually, and once someone has it, it impedes their ability to fight any disease-causing agents. Though there is no cure for HIV, there are medications that can slow its progression; however, the best way to proceed is with prevention. Education in Norfolk should be ensure to include suggestions like using new condoms and communicating with their partner whether or not they have HIV.

It is important to remember when considering these few trends in women and children's health, that the overall health care and services available for women and children have been improved significantly in the past few decades. Yet, they are always looking for ways to continue to educate women and prevent the risks that they can.