Wednesday, August 11, 1999
Health priorities developed
Success depends on lifestyle changes
BY SUSAN VELA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
EDGEWOOD — Improving Northern Kentucky's top five health priorities will depend on whether area residents can manage major lifestyle changes, said Joan Patel, senior health planner for the Northern Kentucky Independent District Health Department.
Its health board, which represents Boone, Campbell, Kenton and Grant counties, is expected to adopt a 1999 Community Health Plan tonight that identifies the region's top five health priorities as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, air quality and surface water quality, and also lays out strategies for tackling them.
Adoption of the plan will culminate three years' work.
The community health committee, a group of about 25 medical, social service and government members, began working on it soon after it approved a 1996 plan, which was the first ever and identified that year's priorities as alcohol and substance abuse; low birth weight; childhood immunizations; violence and abuse; and access to primary care.
Both the 1996 and 1999 plans are intended as strategic documents to be used for 10 years after their respective publications. Health planners note that the 1999 plan will be implemented this year while the 1996 document already has had some success.
For example, out of the 1996 priority on alcohol and substance abuse grew Edgewood's resolution encouraging residents to stop smoking, said Louise Danzl, senior health planner, who works with regional agencies to see whether the health plan is implemented.
The plan's success ultimately will depend on whether Northern Kentuckians try to live healthier lives.
“The reason that all of these are difficult is that they require lifestyle changes,” Mrs. Patel said. “Lifestyle changes are not like taking medication. They're something that a person has to commit to.”
“In Northern Kentucky, the most prevalent behaviors contributing to early deaths are tobacco use, followed closely by poor diet and inactivity,” the report says. “Clearly, there is personal choice involved in these behaviors.”
Here are some of strategies to tackle the 1999 priorities:
• Heart disease — This is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and in Northern Kentucky, the report said.
A main goal is to lure people from their sedentary lifestyles by encouraging schools to promote daily physical activities and encouraging employees to exercise and provide programs, time and space.
Other strategies are increasing awareness of how depression contributes to heart disease; encouraging hobbies; encouraging cholesterol screenings; educating people on how to buy and make meals; encouraging lower fat and calorie entrees at school fund-raisers; and reducing strokes by discouraging smoking habits and caffeine use.
• Cancer — Increase awareness and screenings and advocate for smoke-free environments.
• Diabetes — Develop a diabetes resource directory and publish pamphlets on general diabetes facts, medicines and insurance coverage.
• Outdoor air quality — Promote car pooling; encourage alternative fuels; and develop newsletters that encourage residents to reduce pollutants and educate them on how to cope when air quality is poor.
• Surface water quality — Remove illegal connections to sewers; replace septic systems with city or county sewer systems; reduce the number of swimmers in contaminated surface waters; develop an environment education resource center; and design and mail out educational bill stuffers.
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