County Health Comparison – Lafayette, Madison, Holmes, and Mississippi

County Health Comparison – Lafayette, Madison, Holmes, and Mississippi

The CDC, in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the CDC Foundation, has a PLACES project that offers jurisdiction-level health data for analysis of the distribution of various health measures across a given area regardless of the size of the population. This reflection will compare and contrast the health outcomes, risk behaviors, and prevention strategies/efforts in the three counties in Mississippi, including and comparing the three counties and their performance with the US average, and deliberate on the implications of this data in public health planning.

Health Outcomes Comparison

Lafayette County, home to Oxford, has a relatively favorable health profile due to its access to medical facilities. The average life expectancy in Lafayette County is 77.2 years, which is slightly above the national average of 76.1 years. In contrast, Madison County, the wealthiest in Mississippi, has a life expectancy of 79.8 years, while Holmes County, the poorest, has a significantly lower life expectancy of 71.5 years, highlighting the disparity in health outcomes based on income and access to resources (CDC, 2020).

Chronic disease rates show a similar trend. The prevalence of diabetes in Madison County is 8%, which is lower than the U.S. average of 10.5%. However, Holmes County has a diabetes prevalence of 16%, far surpassing both Lafayette County’s 9.2% and the national rate (Khan et al., 2020). These figures reflect how lower socioeconomic status correlates with higher rates of chronic illnesses.

Health Risk Behaviors

Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, including tobacco use, inadequate physical activity, and unhealthy diet, badly affect all these health results. Thus, Holmes County has a 25% smoking prevalence, which is considerably higher than the national prevalence of 14% and Madison County prevalence of 12%. Lafayette County has 17%, which places it at middle income, yet it affirms that even with such a status, the counties are unsafe from health risk behaviors, as evident in Holmes County.

Likewise, the prevalence of obesity is higher in Holmes County, with a 43% percentage rate, in contrast to Lafayette’s 31% and 27% in Madison. The national average is 36%. Therefore, Holmes County is above the US average and indicates a growing public health issue (Boutari & Mantzoros, 2022). This difference in obesity can be explained by reduced access to and demand for appropriate diet and increased sedentary lifestyles characteristic of lower-income, rural environments like Holmes, Kentucky.

Prevention Efforts

Preventive health measures, such as vaccination rates and access to healthcare screenings, also vary across the counties. With its wealth and proximity to high-quality healthcare services, Madison County boasts an impressive 85% vaccination rate for routine adult vaccines like the flu shot, surpassing the national average of 70% and Lafayette County’s rate of 76%. Holmes County lags significantly, with only 60% of adults receiving preventive vaccinations.

Access to regular healthcare screenings is also limited in Holmes County. Only 58% of adults in Holmes report having had a routine check-up in the past year, compared to 79% in Madison and 72% in Lafayette. This lack of access to healthcare services in Holmes, which is compounded by transportation barriers and a shortage of medical facilities, exacerbates the chronic disease burden in the area.

Health Status and Public Health Action Priorities

Socioeconomic status indicates people’s living standards. It has been found to be the cause of variation in people’s health statuses, as evidenced by the data in the study. For example, with higher incomes, Madison County excels across most health indicators, while Holmes County, with relatively low incomes and struggles in a rural setting, faces health problems. When the results are established for Lafayette, which is both urban and rural, the performance is significantly better than Holmes but is still not on the same par as Madison. These data can inform public health practice in several ways. In Holmes County, public health officials could focus on increasing access to care, especially by offering mobile clinics and telemedicine since there are not enough cars and facilities.

Moreover, smoking cessation and promoting better diet and physical activity may be useful for reducing chronic disease prevalence as well as extremely elevated rates of obesity in the county. In the case of Madison County, then the emphasis could be placed on the continuation of high levels of effective preventive measures while addressing the residual risky population. In Lafayette, they can strive to increase the availability of health care in surrounding rural areas and address university students’ specific health needs.

Conclusion

The analysis of health data, risky behavior, and health promotion activities in Lafayette, Madison, and Holmes counties reveals the impact of social determinants on the health of these populations. By identifying these disparities, the local health departments of Mississippi can focus their efforts on the targeted reduction of health disparities among the natives. The information gathered through the PLACES project can be valuable in developing country-specific intervention and prevention planning in every county.

References

Boutari, C., & Mantzoros, C. S. (2022). A 2022 Update on the Epidemiology of Obesity and a Call to action: as Its Twin COVID-19 Pandemic Appears to Be receding, the Obesity and Dysmetabolism Pandemic Continues to Rage on. Metabolism, 133(155217), 155217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2022.155217

CDC. (2020, December 8). PLACES: Local Data for Better Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/places/

Khan, M. A., Hashim, M. J., King, J., Govender, R. D., Mustafa, H., & Al Kaabi, J. (2020). Epidemiology of Type 2 Diabetes – Global Burden of Disease and Forecasted Trends. Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health, 10(1), 107–111. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32175717/

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PLACES is a collaboration between the CDC, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the CDC Foundation. PLACES provides health data for small areas across the country. This allows local health departments and jurisdictions, regardless of population size and rurality, to better understand the burden and geographic distribution of health measures in their areas and assist them in planning public health interventions.

County Health Comparison – Lafayette, Madison, Holmes, and Mississippi

Use the County Comparison Data on the CDC website to compare three counties in Mississippi:
• Lafayette County- where Oxford, MS is located
• Madison County- highest per capita income in the state
• Holmes County- lowest per capita income in the state

1. Write a 500-word reflection on the results of this county comparison. (30 points)
a. How do these counties compare to each other, and to the overall U.S., in terms of health outcomes, health risk behaviors, and prevention efforts?
b. What do these data tell you about the health status of these counties?
c. How could these data be used to establish priorities for public health action?

PLease see the attached assignment to click on the CDC website