I had the opportunity to speak with Megan Eguchi, who is an
epidemiologist at the Maricopa County Department of Public Health in Phoenix,
Arizona. Coincidentally, the Department began an initiative to improve five
public health problems in the metropolitan area just last August, and they
identified the target problems as follows:
1) Obesity—25% of adults in the Maricopa county are obese—a
number that’s astonishing, even though it is slightly lower than the national
average. Of high school students, 12.5%
are obese. These statistics become particularly disconcerting when we consider
the correlation between minorities and obesity—obesity is 10% more prevalent
among Hispanics than Caucasians. The most at-risk group is Hispanic
females—they have an astonishing 37.78% rate of obesity. Notably, this
condition is closely linked to another public health crisis in Maricopa county:
diabetes. This correlation illustrates
the intimate connection between obesity and more severe health problems.
2) Diabetes—The death rate of diabetes drastically
illustrates the chasm of health disparities in Maricopa county. Whereas 14.6
out of 100,000 deaths of Caucasians are attributed to diabetes, 62.4 deaths of
African Americans are due to diabetes. Even more alarming, 123.1 out of 100,000
Native American deaths are caused by diabetes. Clearly, diabetes very clearly
illustrates how minorities are disproportionately affected by many chronic
health problems. Despite this disparity, diabetes continues to be a significant
problem across all races and classes in Maricopa county, requiring initiatives
to improve nutritional education.
3) Lung Cancer—One in seven Maricopa county residents are
currently smoking—a habit which very strongly correlates with lung cancer. This
number has decreased in recent years; in 2007, 19.7% of residents were smokers;
in 2010, that number had fallen to 13.9%. This decrease is most likely due to
emerging social stigmas and public health campaigns. Despite this heartening
sign, we must consider that secondhand smoke still affects a significant amount
of people besides smokers, particularly people who live with habitual smokers.
Overall, there’s no doubt Maricopa county can improve the rates of lung cancer
even further.
4) Cardiovascular Disease—In 2009, heart disease fell to the
second leading cause of death in Maricopa county. Previously, from 2001 to
2009, heart disease had been the first leading cause of death. This is clearly
a positive sign, since cardiovascular disease is highly preventable if a good
diet and consistent exercise is encouraged in residents. However, it is
important to note that African Americans suffer from cardiovascular disease
more than another of ethnicity in Maricopa county. At 170.9 cardiovascular
disease related deaths per 100,000 total deaths, heart disease deaths clearly
impacts African Americans most severely. To compare, 138.9 out of 100,000
deaths are due to heart disease for Caucasians, and the rates are comparable or
lower for other minorities.
5) Access to Healthcare—18.7% of Caucasians reported that
they delayed or did not seek medical help they felt was necessary in the last
year. In contrast, 29.7% of African Americans in Maricopa county reported the
same. Clearly, 11% more African Americans have significant barriers to
healthcare access than do Caucasians. More research must be done to identify
the cause, whether it be cost, cultural stigmas, time, or knowledge. Interestingly, another minority diverged noticeably
on the issue of health insurance; 10.0%
of Caucasians don’t have health insurance, and 19.7% of African Americans don’t
either. To contrast, an astonishing 40.9%
of Hispanics in Maricopa county have no medical insurance. Clearly, if only
because of sheer lack of affordable insurance, Latinos face particular
challenges in obtaining appropriate medical care.
As part of their five-year program, the Maricopa County of
Health pledged to help improve four aspects of residents’ lives—nutrition,
tobacco-free living, exercise, and healthcare linkages for the underserved-- in
order to reduce the above health concerns.
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