I grew up in Provo Utah, just a
stone’s throw away from BYU campus but having spent so much of my life and
still currently residing in Utah County, I decided to research the public
health trends in Utah County. I thought that my best contact to find out about
the top five trends would be the director of Health Promotion at the Utah
County Health Department. Eric Edwards was very helpful and he was happy to
inform me of the current public health trends in Utah County.
First,
one of the main trends in Utah County (and nationwide) is obesity. This is
really a result of unhealthy lifestyles and habits. Obesity leads to many other
health problems including diabetes and heart problems. Adult obesity rates are
exceeding 24.5% in Utah County alone and over 40% in the U.S as a whole. These
rates demonstrate dangerous trends that are becoming prevalent in our hometowns
and in our nation. Health Promotion officials are trying to implement programs
in elementary schools to improve eating, increase exercise and form good
habits. Michelle Obama has been an influential force in eliminating obesity
across the nation. She is working to improve elementary school food and
increase exercise. Her appearances on Disney Channel inspire kids everywhere,
even in Utah County, to reduce the current obesity trend.
Secondly,
Eric Edwards mentioned that sadly, prescription drug abuse is a current trend
in Utah County. This issue may be due to the culture or the ease of getting the
drugs. The Health Promotion department recognizes the issue and they are
working on educating the public and passing regulation to make it harder to get
drugs that are commonly abused.
Thirdly,
the citizens of Utah County are often behind on their vaccinations. People are
often very uneducated about vaccines and they hear things that concern them so
they neglect to vaccinate. This is a trend that is becoming increasingly
popular but is also dangerous. . I was just in the Health Department the other
day for vaccines for my mission and it was very interesting to see the
commercials and other forms of information that encouraged the public to receive
vaccinations. The Utah County
Health Department is just working on educating the public on the importance of
vaccines through commercials, billboards, etc that lay out the benefits of
getting vaccines and the consequences of neglecting to do so.
Fourth,
a lot of those in Utah County own big cars and drive them very often. This
contributes to the poor air quality in our area. This year especially all of
us, the department included, have noticed the decline in air quality. Being a
nanny, I watched as the kids came home, many times, disappointed because they
had to cancel recess due to the air quality. The Utah County Health Division is
trying to make the air quality top notch, not only so kids can go back to
recess but so the health of the community all together is healthier.
Fifth,
another current trend is a big national, even global trend as well. Chronic diseases
and such are big issues that are sometimes without a cure. Chronic diseases
like cancer, heart failure etc, can be prevented or risks can be decreased by healthy
life habits. Also Health Promotion officials educate the public on how to
detect early signs of cancer and other diseases so that they have a better
chance of beating it.
It
was really interesting to talk to Public Health Official Eric Edwards and also
other unnamed Health Officials I spoke to when I went in to get my vaccines for
my mission. There are a lot of proactive, aggressive campaigns happening to acknowledge
these trends and ultimately reduce the harm these trends do to the community.
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