Community Health Status Report
Issue Number 4 - July 1995
SUMMARY
This report is the latest in a series which began in August
1993. Earlier reports in the series presented a demographic profile of the
community, information about employment, income, education, and a variety of health outcomes including mortality,
morbidity, and reproductive outcomes. A number of
significant differences were noted between Renfrew County and District residents
and our provincial counterparts. For instance, overall mortality was found
to be higher here, in particular premature deaths; income and education levels
were found to be lower.
The current report is an
examination of lifesyle risk factors which contribute to heart disease, cancer,
injuries and other diseases in our community.
Smoking and exposure to environmental
tobacco smoke (ETS) cause many heart disease and cancer deaths here. One-third
of the population smokes and 40% are exposed to ETS in the home. Smoking rates
are not significantly higher in Renfrew County than Ontario, but people do start
smoking younger l}ere. More than 150 people die each year here because of
tobacco use. The fact that people in Renfrew County and District die younger
from heart disease and cancer may be partly explained by earlier ages of smoking
initiation here.
High fat intakes among Renfrew County
residents are a serious problem. About 95% of our population consumes too much
fat. Only one in twenty people in Renfrew County meets Health Canada's
recommendation for fat intake compared to one in ten people in Ontario. A
significant portion of our excess mortality from heart disease and premature
death due to cancer can likely be attributed to this difference between Renfrew
County residents and our provincial counterparts.
Fifty percent of the Renfrew County
population is somewhat overweight or obese as compared with only 39% of the
Ontario population, as a result of high fat intakes here, in combination with
low activity levels. The higher prevalence of overweight here contributes to
excess mortality due to heart disease and cancer.
Renfrew County residents fall far short
of physical activity objectives set by the Ontario Ministry of Health. Only 25%
of males and 16% of females over the age of 12 are active daily for at least 15
minutes. Inactivity is a major contributor to heart disease deaths here;
however it does not account for any excess mortality here as Ontario residents
are no more active than we are in Renfrew County.
Alcohol use is a serious problem in
Renfrew County which helps to account for our excess death rates and PYLL rates
due to accidents. As compared with Ontario, inRenfrew County more alcohol is
consumed per capita, people start drinking at younger ages, more young adults
drink, more males binge drink and report alcohol-related problems, and more
motor vehicle accidents involve alcohol.
The potential to positively affect
health status in Renfrew County and District by assisting people to change their
smoking, eating, drinking and activity patterns appears to be substantial based
on the data presented in this report. Excellent educational resources and
programs are already offered locally by the Addiction Research Foundation,
Canadian Cancer Society, the Lung
Association of Renfrew County, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and others. As
well, the Renfrew County and District Health Unit promotes healthy lifestyles
through a variety of programs and resources. Clearly however, there is much more
work to be done, and a shift of resources into this area could have a
substantial payoff in terms of improved health status in our community.
