Mara Thompson

Mara Thompson

Intro to Public Health

I interviewed Cathy Aby from the Auburn, WA Public Health Department.

The first trend that Aby mentioned was that of obesity. This has been a major issue for quite some time and there is a continual effort to promote healthy behaviors. Aby mentioned that promoting healthy food choices and increased activity can make a significant difference. People want to fight obesity, but most often they don’t actually do anything about it. When I asked Aby more about obesity, she emphasized that the main thing we can do to fight obesity is to make healthy choices.

The second trend mentioned was teen pregnancy. Aby said that teen pregnancy rates are going down. In fact, she said they were at the lowest levels since the rates began to be tracked. According to TeenHelp.com, even though teen pregnancy rates are decreasing, around 820,000 teens become pregnant in one given year. Aby said that along with teen pregnancy rates declining, abortion rates have declined as well.

The third trend reported to me was that of STDs. Aby mentioned Syphilis and how the rates were rather low and are now increasing. Syphilis is an STD that is the result of a bacterium called Treponema pallidum. While there are various treatments for STDs, it is difficult to decrease the rates. It would be better to simply abstain or else use protection.

The fourth trend that Cathy Aby mentioned was that of global warming. I thought it was interesting that she brought this up, as I would have expected her to have mentioned something like cancer or a type of disease other than STDs. Aby mentioned that they are trying to figure out where the biggest impacts come from. Also, they’re trying to figure out how to lessen the effects of global warming and how to deal with future impacts. While I never really considered global warming to be a matter of public health, it is interesting that it was mentioned in one of the top five trends.

The fifth trend mentioned was that of Whooping Cough. Whooping Cough (also known as Pertussis) is a respiratory system infection that is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It mainly affects babies younger than 6 months old, making it crucial to be especially hygienic around newborns. Aby mentioned that they are watching out for pregnant women, possibly because they want to inform the new mothers on how to prevent it. Some ways to prevent Whooping Cough are to receive vaccinations and to maintain proper hygiene.