Community Health Data Scan Suggests Six Areas of Focus to Improve Health

NEW BRITAIN – Blacks/African Americans living in Connecticut die prematurely from diabetes at rate nearly three times that of whites, according to a Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) report to be released during a 10:30 a.m. educational briefing Wednesday in Room 1C of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford.

The age-adjusted diabetes mortality rate before age 75 among whites living in Connecticut is 7.4 per 100,000 residents, while it is 23.0 among black/African Americans, 14.3 among Hispanics and 2.7 among Asians, according to Community Health Data Scan for Connecticut.  

“Diabetes is not only a prevelant condition, but it is also a good index for examining chronic disease disparities since there are data at each level in the casual chain,” said Lorenz “Larry” Finison, author of the 264-page report, which highlights health issues ranging from health outcomes and access to care, to environmental health and health care quality.  “Diabetes can also be understood as part of a larger concept of the ‘metabolic syndrome’ – a group of related conditions including diabetes, heart disease and stroke.”

The Data Scan includes quantitative data on the social characteristics, health and well-being of Connecticut residents -- with a focus on racial and ethnic health disparities -- collected from state, federal and non-governmental sources. 

Based on his analysis of available data, Finison suggests six priority areas to improve the health of the people of Connecticut including:

• Focus resources on prevention-focused interventions in the black/African American population to decrease risk factors associated with diabetes and other metabolic syndrome conditions.
• Focus health-promoting investments in specific urban centers among black/African American and Hispanic communities in greatest need.
• Ensure that every state resident has a primary care “medical home” to avoid overuse of emergency department and hospital utilization.
• Change culture around binge drinking and smoking, especially among white youth and young adults.
• Support out-of-school programs to engage youth and reduce major youth health risks, including sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy, the lack of use of seat belts and bicycle helmets, and child abuse.
• Improve the health data system and make data more easily accessible to the public.

“We are proud to release this in-depth report that provides a snapshot of health issues, trends and statistics about Connecticut’s communities,” said CT Health President & CEO Patricia Baker.  “This report is important because it provides a review of a variety of health indicators and demonstrates differences in health risks and health outcomes in different kinds of communities.”

Baker will discuss why CT Health commissioned the Data Scan during opening remarks.  A. Dennis McBride, director of the City of Milford Health Department, will explain why accurate, up-to-date health data matter from his perspective.  Finison will present the report’s major findings, as well as illustrate a new methodology developed to report community health data.  Health Reference Groups (HRGs) were useful in analyzing data from towns where the community size and indicator counts were too small to obtain reliable estimates or where Connecticut agencies suppressed data for reasons of confidentiality, according to Finison.

For a copy of the Data Scan, please contact Administrative Assistant Midge Mongillo at Midge@cthealth.org or 860.224.2200, ext. 33.  The Data Scan, as well as a four-page executive summary, will be available at www.cthealth.org. 

If you would like to schedule an interview with Baker and/or Finison, please contact Public Affairs Officer Maryland Grier at Maryland@cthealth.org, 860.224.2200, ext. 32, or 860.888.6616.

The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) is the state’s largest independent, non-profit grantmaking foundation dedicated to improving the health of the people of Connecticut through systemic change, program innovation and health policy analysis.  Since it was established in July of 1999, CT Health has awarded 353 grants in 43 cities and towns totaling over $28.7 million primarily in three priority areas – children’s mental health, racial and ethnic health disparities, and oral health.