Introduction
In the U.S., there are still prevailing public health concerns that affect all populations based on lifestyle factors. According to the World Health Organization, the two biggest worldwide health concerns are improper diet and insufficient exercise (Morera et al., 2019). The results of these factors are cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and obesity. Such conditions lead to premature deaths, which have been identified in Georgia.
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the public health concerns in Alpharetta, Georgia, and outline the connection between the local area specifics and residents’ lifestyles, which have an influence on Health.
Community
The chosen community for the given paper is Alpharetta, which is part of the metropolitan region of Georgia. The city is located in the Fulton area, and according to the United States Census Bureau (n.d.), the population of the city exceeds 60,000 people. The given area was chosen due to my residence and work in this city. Upon living here for a long time, I can confirm that there are certain healthcare concerns.
Demographic and Epidemiological Data
First, it is necessary to begin with the demographic data of the chosen city. Alpharetta, Georgia, has 66,600 residents as of official statistics from 2020, with an average age of 39.9 and a family income of $119,568 (Data USA, n.d.). Among the top prevailing ethnic groups in Alpharetta are “White (Non-Hispanic) (57%), Asian (Non-Hispanic) (19.7%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (11.7%), White (Hispanic) (6.72%), and Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (1.94%)” (Data USA, n.d.). Therefore, white residents are the prevailing ethnic group in the city.
As for epidemiological data, it is vital to compare Alpharetta’s data to those of the state. As of 2017, Georgia’s leading causes of death are Alzheimer’s disease (3rd state rank with 3,714 deaths), kidney disease (6th state rank) with 1,864 deaths, stroke (8th state rank) with 4,349 deaths, and septicemia (8th state rank) with 1,565 deaths (CDC, n.d.a.).
As for other prevailing causes of death, these involve heart disease (15th state rank) with 18,143 deaths, cancer (24th state rank) with 17,184 deaths, and diabetes (25th state rank) with 2,238 deaths (CDC, n.d.a.). Thus, Georgia is among the states with the most prevalent causes of death when it comes to cognitive impairments, heart-related issues, and renal failure.
However, when comparing Alpharetta to the data of the state or other cities, its results are average. Compared to an average of 211.5 fatalities from cardiovascular disease per 100,000 people in other Georgia cities, Alpharetta had 182.1 such deaths (City et al.). As for breast cancer, Alpharetta had 15.9 deaths per 100,000 females (City et al.).
Furthermore, with 9.9% diabetes prevalence in other cities, 7.2% of adults in Alpharetta are diagnosed with this condition (City et al.). However, adults in Alpharetta admitted experiencing high blood pressure 24.7% of the time, compared to an average of 29.5% (City et al.). Moreover, adults in Alpharetta are diagnosed with obesity at a rate of 24.2%, compared to an average of 30.8% (City et al.). Therefore, among the main concerns are obesity and high blood pressure.
Windshield Survey
While conducting a survey, the first issue noted was poor walkability in the city. According to the City Health Dashboard (n.d.), Alpharetta’s walkability score was set at 21.4 compared to the average of 41.3 in other Fulton County cities. As a result, when conducting the survey both in the evening and midday, few people were observed walking in the streets. The city’s primary types of housing are single-family homes and apartment complexes. At least thirty public schools were observed while conducting research on the area. Moreover, several churches were seen in the city.
As for healthcare providers, the survey findings indicated that there were plenty. For instance, among those observed were such healthcare companies as Angelica, Halyard Health, Laureate Medical Group, Avanos Medical, Premier Anesthesia, and Jackson Physician Search. As for the environmental and safety risks, none were identified. The area seems safe from the perspective of crime incidence. As for natural disasters, the city’s properties are equipped, and the area is at low risk of environmental incidents.
Problem
Regarding the main problem, the main concern in Alpharetta, Georgia, is relatively high levels of those who have high blood pressure and obesity when compared to other cities in Fulton County. The issues are exacerbated by poor walkability in the area and the high prevalence of fast-food restaurants.
According to the Fulton County Board of Health (2020), fast-food restaurant rates are significantly higher than those of the state and country. When opposed to the state, five of the fifteen municipalities, Milton, Roswell, Alpharetta, College Park, and Johns Creek, showed greater rates of fast-food establishments (Fulton et al. of Health, 2020). Therefore, certain initiatives need to be taken to address these public health concerns.
The national government’s preventative strategy for creating a healthy country is called Healthy People 2020. The main objectives of Healthy People 2020 are to obtain higher quality, longer lives free of treatable illness and early death (CDC, n.d.b.). The concerns regarding Alpharetta’s public Health coincide with the objective. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the quality of life, developmental outcomes, and healthy lifestyles throughout all stages of life.
Historical Significance
Finally, the historical significance of high blood pressure, obesity, and accompanying lifestyle factors show a connection to cardiovascular disease. Between the 1970s and 2016, overall cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in the U.S. decreased gradually (Manemann et al., 2021). Improvements could have been considerably bigger if the lifestyle factors had been addressed, according to the increased prevalence of excess weight and diabetes mellitus during the same time period (Manemann et al., 2021).
Since the beginning of the new century, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and obesity has increased both in the U.S. and globally, prompting concerns that the rise in CVD mortality rates will eventually plateau (Manemann et al., 2021). Additionally, according to recent national statistics, blood pressure regulation progressively improved from 1988 to 2010, plateaued until 2016, and then sharply dropped from 2017 to 2018 (Manemann et al., 2021). Therefore, despite the fact that there is no increasing trend, there are still connections between the mentioned public health concerns to other diseases, such as CVD.
Summary
Hence, obesity and high blood pressure are two issues that are of public health concern for adults in Alpharetta, Georgia, and there is a link between the local environment and the way of life of the population. The first problem identified during a survey was the city’s low walkability.
Additionally, Alpharetta has a far higher presence rate of fast food restaurants than the rest of the state and the nation. As a result, specific activities are required to address these public health issues. The historical relevance of hypertension, obesity, and related lifestyle variables demonstrates a link to cardiovascular disease.
References
CDC. (n.d.a.). Georgia. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
CDC. (n.d.b.). Healthy People 2020. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web.
City Health Dashboard. (n.d.). Alpharetta, GA. City Health Dashboard. Web.
Data USA. (n.d.). Alpharetta, Georgia. DataUSA. Web.
Fulton County Board of Health. (2020). Community health assessment. Fulton County Board of Health. Web.
Manemann, S. M., Gerber, Y., Bielinski, S. J., Chamberlain, A. M., Margolis, K. L., Weston, S. A., Killian, J. M., & Roger, V. L. (2021). Recent trends in cardiovascular disease deaths: A state-specific perspective. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 1031. Web.
Morera, L. P., Marchiori, G. N., Medrano, L. A., & Defagó, M. D. (2019). Stress, dietary patterns, and cardiovascular disease: A mini-review. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13, 1226. Web.
United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Alpharetta City, Georgia. Census. Web.