Jake Bowers

I spoke with Brian Richardson, a public information officer from the Chicago Health Department.  Here are the five Chicago public health trends- focus for a “Healthy Chicago.”  I also spoke with Dr. Williams, M.D., who practices family medicine (primary care) in a suburb of Chicago.  He agreed with the trends that were mentioned by Brian Richardson.

1)Tobacco Use-  This practice harms nearly every organ of the body. Smoking causes many diseases and reduces the health of smokers in general. The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of every five deaths, each year in the United States. Dr. Williams attributes several lung issues that he treats and respiratory issues to smoking.  According to the Chicago Department of Public Health, “A celebration was held on January 2, where Mayor Rahm Emanuel signed a proclamation declaring January 2013 to be Smoke-free Illinois Month in Chicago. The proclamation urges the public to acknowledge the benefits of the passage of the Chicago Clean Indoor Air Act (2007) and the importance of prohibiting smoking in all public places and workplaces. The Illinois Department of Public Health reports a noticeable decline in adult smoking since the state went smoke-free.”

2)Obesity- According to the CDC, “Between 1980 and 2000, obesity rates doubled among adults. About 60 million adults, or 30% of the adult population, are now obese. Similarly since 1980, overweight rates have doubled among children and tripled among adolescents – increasing the number of years they are exposed to the health risks of obesity.”  The City of Chicago has implemented some healthier vending machines in the city to encourage healthier food choices.  Mr. Richardson mentioned a recent newsletter that stated that, “On February 28, over 6,500 CPS students joined First Lady Michelle Obama at McCormick Place to celebrate the third anniversary of her Let’s Move! Campaign and the introduction of the Let’s Move! Active Schools, both of which coincided with the release of the Healthy CPS Action Plan. Across the district, fifth through seventh graders participated in the interactive, high energy event that was designed to inspire students to eat healthy and stay active. The goal of the Let’s Move! Initiative is to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation.”

3)HIV prevention- The CDC states that more than 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV infection, and almost 1 in 5 (18.1%) are unaware of their infection.  Richardson mentioned that awareness about this issue and better education in schools at a young age can help to prevent this issue.  Many places that only teach that abstinence prevents HIV and other STD’s hinder the prevention aspect of this public health trend. In recognition of National Condom Week (February 14-21), the Chicago Community Condom Project teamed up with City Colleges of Chicago to host campus-based information tables and workshops on proper condom use and the benefits of practicing protected sex. The Chicago Community Condom Project’s mission is to distribute 10 million free condoms per year through collaboration and community partners.

4)Adolescent Health- “During the transition from childhood to adulthood, adolescents establish patterns of behavior and make lifestyle choices that affect both their current and future health. Serious health and safety issues such as motor vehicle crashes, violence, substance use, and risky sexual behaviors can adversely affect adolescent and young adults.” (CDC) Going along with preventing HIV, sexual education is a big deal in preventing and helping adolescents make smart choices.  The Chicago Board of Education passed a new sexual health education policy that will make CPS the largest urban U.S. school district with an established and comprehensive sexual health education curriculum specifically designed for every grade level, ensuring age-appropriate material and minimum instructional minutes for each grade across a broad scope of family and sexual health education topics.   Dr. Williams and Mr. Richardson both commented that proper education from parents and other appropriate leaders/mentors are key to healthy adolescent choices.

5)Violence- No doubt that Chicago can be a scary place to be at times.  While serving my mission in Chicago, I would hear stories here and there of missionaries being mugged, or even caught victims of physical altercations.  Richardson mentioned that this is definitely something to be worked on and one of the focuses for a “Healthier Chicago.”  He mentioned an article in a recent newsletter that stated, “On February 7, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced an increase in funding for programs that serve at-risk CPS students, including jobs, life skill training, guidance, and safe alternatives to drugs, gangs and violence. The City currently serves about 3,500 students in these programs, and the increased funding will allow another 2000 students to be served. The new funding will be invested in Becoming A Man (B.A.M.) and Greencorps Chicago programs. B.A.M., a school-based counseling, mentoring, violence prevention and educational enrichment program, has been shown to reduce violent crime arrests, increase graduation rates, and reduce failing grades. Greencorps Chicago will expand a proven program to create 600 summer jobs, including training, for at-risk students attending 15 CPS high schools.”