Taking stock of health

The Linn County Board of Supervisors and Board of Health recently released a countywide assessment of disease, risk factors and access to care in Linn County.

The report, the first of its kind in Iowa, covers a wide array of topics, including chronic diseases, injury and violence, infectious diseases, and environmental health, to paint a comprehensive picture of our residents' health.

It is important for a number of reasons. It shows how Linn County is doing compared to Iowa and the United States. It gives us a foundation to address the health issues in our communities. It will be instrumental in prioritization, policy development, planning and resource allocation. It also will help Linn County Public Health and other organizations secure grant funding, measure the effectiveness of health programming and assist in targeting specific problem areas for particular health issues.

Because the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, play, work, and age can have a major effect on health, the report identifies social determinants tied to specific health problems, where possible. For example, a person is more likely to be physically active if his or her neighborhood has sidewalks and they feel safe. It is our hope the report will increase communities' understanding of these connections and the importance they play in supporting healthy behaviors.

Many of the report's major findings are positive. Linn County residents fair better than the average for the United States or Iowa on many major health outcomes. For example, the average life expectancy of residents is higher, mothers are more likely to receive early and adequate prenatal care and a greater proportion of residents less than 65 years of age are insured.

Challenges revealed by this report include increases in overweight and obesity, as well as cases of diabetes and asthma and increases in the number of unintentional injuries, especially deaths due to poisoning and falls. Rural residents have lower access to medical services. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Linn County, followed by heart disease.

Resolving these challenges will take the collaborative effort of public, private, and voluntary groups and individuals that contribute to the delivery of our public health services. That includes city governments, hospitals and clinics, schools, foundations and charitable groups, neighborhood organizations, churches and other faith-based institutions, non-profit organizations and others.

We are proud to note that many strong collaborative efforts already exist here and we will continue to enhance and expand our partnerships. We hope this report will aid our current collaborations and support the creation of new ones to improve the health of Linn County. We remain committed to gaining and interpreting the data necessary to support and improve the health of all county residents.

To view the report, visit: bit.ly/HealthofLinnCounty

' Pramod Dwivedi is health director at Linn County Public Health. Linda Langston is a Linn County supervisor and public health board member. Comments: (319) 892-6000; health@linncounty.org.