Survey spotlights health of the region
New London County has more smokers and chronic drinkers than the state or national average. |
New London County has abnormally high numbers of people who smoke and are overweight, according to a first-of-its-kind health assessment of the region.
And in the cities of Norwich and New London, these risk factors are coupled with low levels of physical activity — a potentially lethal combination of detrimental behaviors that have health officials in the region concerned.
"These are startling numbers that everyone should be paying close attention to," said Sue Peters, Project Director of the CHAMP Program, which funded the study, and Collaborative Liaison to the Study Consultant. "Smoking, being overweight and lack of exercise can lead to heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions that we will pay dearly for later."
The Community Health Needs Assessment results were released publicly April 5 at an event held at the Mohegan Sun. The independent study was overseen by CHAMP (Community Health Access Management Program) and its local healthcare partners, including The William W. Backus Hospital.
The goal of the assessment, which included a 1,300-household telephone survey and analyses of population health data, was to assess the health of the region and provide specific recommendations to improve the health of the region.
"The key will be how we use this data to develop programs and services to improve the health of our community," said Peter Shea, MD, Medical Director at Backus Hospital. "The good news is, many of these risk factors are preventable."
The assessment was completed by the Center For Health Policy, Planning and Research at the University of New England, in Portland, Maine.
Despite some bright spots, including cancer care, there are some startlingly grim statistics that depict an unhealthy snapshot of the region. They include:
The rate of heavy alcohol consumption is considerably higher than the state in New London County, which corresponds with higher rates of deaths from motor vehicle accidents compared to the rest of the state.
In Norwich and New London, the prevalence of people reporting three or more chronic conditions (a measure of poor health), is very high. Approximately 30% of Norwich residents and 25% of New London residents reported being in poor health, more than double the state average of 12%.
The region has a high number of people living below 150% of the poverty level. It is well documented that socioeconomic status is related to overall health.
The number of people who smoke in New London County is much higher than the state and national averages — and Norwich fares the worst, with nearly 30% of people saying they are current smokers. This is compared to 16.5% in the state and 20.6% in the nation.
Diabetes prevalence in New London County adults is 8.7%, which is 33% higher than the state. Norwich and New London have the highest levels of diabetes, with a high of 41.4% in Norwich's 65+ age group.
The teen birth rate in the city New London — 16.4% — is much higher than anywhere else in the county (3.6%) and state (5.1%).
Norwich and New London experience high emergency department visit rates for acute alcohol and drug-related mental disorders.
Suicide death rates in New London County are 12.8 per 100,000, which is higher than the state rate of 7.8 per 100,000, primarily due to high numbers of suicides in the more rural towns.
New London County fares poorly in a number of mental health indicators, with Norwich a particular problem area. A higher proportion of Norwich's population experienced 11 or more days of poor mental health, have been diagnosed with depression and/or have a psychiatric disorder. Approximately 34% of Norwich residents have been diagnosed with depression alone.
Terry Baksh, MD, a member of the Backus Medical Staff, said he is not surprised by the survey's findings.
"All you have to do is just look around you," Dr. Baksh said. "Count the numbers. Six out of seven people you see walking into the supermarket are overweight. Just looking outside, you don't see as many kids playing in the yard — they are glued to computers, iPods, television and video games. We need to start addressing this now, or we'll be experiencing the repercussions for generations to come."