Saturday, March 23, 2013



Samuel Lo
Public Health Trends in Sacramento California County
I had the opportunity to interview and contact the Public Health Officer, Doctor Olivia Kaisrye, for the Sacramento California County. The top five leading trends that are found in this county are as follows:
1.)    STD Rates
STD rates have been found to be one of the most problematic trends in the whole nation. Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, and HIV have all been ranked third highest STDs found in the Sacramento County. The Sacramento Public Health department has been focusing on preventing the spread of STDs mainly towards females and teenage through young adult age population. Research has found that disparities within ethnicities groups have the tendency to have higher risk of getting an STD. This could be that most minority groups found in the Sacramento Area are of low income and may cause a lack of knowledge and health care.  Dr. Kaisrye said that many community groups have been formed to help prevent the spread of STD throughout the county in hopes to promote awareness.
2.)    Infant Mortality Rates
Infant mortality rates have been affecting the lives of many families not only throughout the nation but especially in the Sacramento area. These mortality rates are often used to indicate how well the population is doing with their health. This factor not only portrays the impact that it can cause for the new generation, it also influences the older generation as potential leaders and helpers die off. Different zip codes in the county are found to have different levels of infant mortality. In the more low income communities, infant mortality rates are found to be two to three times as high as other more affluent communities. The supervisor of the Public Health office, Phil Serna, is spear heading a new program called Blue Ribbon which its commission is to bring awareness and solutions to how to prevent infant mortality.
3.)    Social Determination in Health
Not only does healthy behavior influence the health and well-being of a person, a lot of the factors that impact the health of the population is found in the environment that they live in. Communities where the majority of the population are low income families find themselves surrounded by poorly kept shopping facilities and lots of fast food restaurants. In these communities, there is often less stress of obtaining an education and a more focused goal of finding work to provide for their families become their lifestyle. The correlation of these factors has come to the attention of the Public Health department and action has been taken place to help assist these families to become more aware of their surroundings and benefits. Programs were set up to help teach elementary students about the importance of gaining an education and how to live a healthy life in hopes that they would in return teach their families.
4.)    Chronic Diseases
Chronic diseases have been the cause of more than seventy-five percent of deaths in the nation for decades. Stroke, heart disease, and diabetes are the main leading causes for these mortality rates. One out of three people are diagnosed to have some kind of chronic disease in their life time and most of the time they don’t know that they have them until it’s too late. With the up rise of stress, change, and demand for adaptation from society, more and more people are being diagnosed for chronic diseases.
5.)    Obesity on the rise
When it comes to Obesity rates, the public health department is most concerned for the children of the local communities. Factors that influence obesity rates of children can include the environments, schools, and the lifestyle they have at home. Obesity rates have increased in the past thirty years. The Sacramento public health department has been funded by the CDC to create programs to help the community. In order to reduce children obesity and promote a nutritious lifestyle, the public health department has created health programs on the community level to help promote healthy eating habits. New regulations and policies have been made to regulate what can be given at lunch time for schools in hopes to improve the quality of food intake from students.

References:
·         Sacramento Public Health Department website
·         Dr Kasirye
Public Health Officer
916-875-5881

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