Quality of Life Indicators

wellness & preventative healthcare data

work-related injury death rate
nonfatal occupational injury rate
number of premature births
at risk behavior
adult heavy drinking
teen birth rate
adult smoking
substance abuse treatment capacity
youth substance abuse rates
substance abuse rates
obesity
low birth weight babies
leading cause of death rate
childhood immunizations

work-related injury death rate

The national Healthy People 2010 target is less than a 3.2 work-related death rate per 100,000 population, aged 16 years and older. Nevada fatal occupational injuries in 2005 (reported as preliminary) were 46% transportation incidents — down from 52.5 % in 2001. Nevada fatal occupational injuries

nonfatal occupational injury rate

Using research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the article “Occupational Injury and Illness Rates, 1992-96: Why They Fell,” by Hugh Conway, Jens Svenson; Monthly Labor Review, Vol. 121, 1998, notes that the “decrease (of industrial accidents and illnesses in the 1990’s) is especially dramatic in light of the expected pattern of increased injuries and illnesses during economic expansions. The temporary drop in the rates in the early 1980s has been attributed to the concurrent effects of the recession. For example, Peter Dorman concludes that there is clearly a"cyclical" component to safety: it rises during periods of economic hardship, and falls during periods of growth. This may be due either to the speedup in the pace of work when orders pile up (this is implicit in Okun’s law, according to which fluctuations in output exceed fluctuations in employment), or to the influx of new, inexperienced workers when hiring expands.  Source:  http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&se=gglsc&d=5001403592

Nevada’s 2005 nonfatal industrial illness or injury incident rating of 5.7 represents 50,800 cases with days away from work, job transfer, or restriction.

number of premature births

According to the National Kids Count site, Nevada had a 13.6% preterm birth rate in 2004, compared to 12.3% rate nationally.  Nevada ranked 41st in the country in preterm births that year.  Source:  http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/

at risk behavior

At risk behavior shows how much individual responsibility we take for our health. These behaviors put people at risk of serious illness or death. The portion of the population that is overweight is growing quickly. Many in the community are obese as well. In fact, in 2000, the last year for which data are available, over one-half of the population in Washoe County was overweight or obese. Not maintaining a healthy weight leads to other health complications including heart disease and diabetes.

Adult smoking was down in Washoe County in 2001 and statewide. Chronic drinking was up slightly. Washoe County has high rates of at-risk behaviors including smoking, drinking, and sedentary lifestyles. These behaviors can lead to health problems including obesity, diabetes, cancers and liver disease.

According to the Washoe County District Health Department, July 2007 communicable disease summary, Chlamydia is the most frequently reported infectious disease in the US and most commonly reported sexually transmitted disease in Washoe County, continuing to rise.  WCDHD

adult heavy drinking

teen birth rate

According to a new report just released by the CDC , the birth rate for teenage girls ages 15–19, rose for the first time in the country in 15 years. The teen birth rate peaked in 1991 at 61.8 births per 1,000 age specific teenage girls, but declined slowly until it rose almost 3% from 2005 to 2006. National Center for Health Statistics

The National Campaign to Reduce Teen Pregnancy’s goal is to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy in young adults by one-third between 2006 and 2015.  The National Campaign to Reduce Teen Pregnancy

The state and local cost to Nevada taxpayers associated with teen childbearing in 2004 was $31 million, or 46% of the total public cost in Nevada of $67 million.  Public Cost of Teen Childbearing report

Nevada had the highest pregnancy rate in the nation for teens aged 15–19 in 2000, and was 8th in the nation that year for teen births in the same age group. After steady declines, the preliminary teen birth rate rose 1.6% in Nevada from 2005 to 2006, and similarly 1.8% in Washoe County.

adult smoking

The Healthy People 2010 national target is to reduce the proportion of adult cigarette smoking to at least a 12%. Washoe County adult smoking peaked in 1999 at 28.8%, as did the state of Nevada at 31.5%. Nevada was second only to Kentucky in the percentage of adult smokers by 2001.  [Source: State of Nevada, Nevada State Health Division, Center for Health Data & Research, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (has not been updated since 2001)]

Although the portion of adult cigarette smokers in Washoe County has decreased over the last five years, the percentage of adults who report smoking some days is increasing.

substance abuse treatment capacity

According to a January 9, 2007 Reno Gazette-Journal article: 

http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060625/NEWS01/101100030/0/NEWS&theme=METH

Treatment options for adolescent meth addicts in Washoe County got a boost recently when Elko-based Vitality Center was awarded more than $700,000 in federal funding for residential and outpatient treatment.  Vitality Center will replace Reno’s SageWind, which is suspending its juvenile residential and outpatient program at the end of June for financial reasons. Sagewind had been the only juvenile residential treatment center in the area, while Quest Counseling, a 3-year-old Reno outpatient center for juveniles, is trying to expand into a separate 10-bed residential facility.  Quest received no state Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse funding during this last disbursement cycle because evaluators said Vitality Center could help more children. Instead, it will rely on funding from contracts and private donations. 

Vitality Center has been offering adolescent services since 1979, most recently in Elko. The new BADA funding will go toward three buildings in Sun Valley that will provide a total of 30 residential beds for juveniles. Those buildings had been used for adult treatment.  ‘There is a big need for adolescent care in Washoe County,’ said Vitality Center CEO Dorothy North. “Just looking at the numbers you can see treatment is a priority. Even if we fill all of our beds to capacity, there will be plenty of room for other agencies to fill their capacities, too.”

Last year, juveniles accounted for 15 percent of all admissions involving meth into BADA-funded treatment centers.  Nevada has historically underfunded all substance-abuse treatment, but especially treatment for youth, said Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie.  ‘There is a strong sense of denial about the seriousness of the problem,’ Leslie said.  ‘No one likes to think about the image of a youth shooting up meth or prostituting themselves to buy drugs, yet we know the situation exists today right here in Reno.’

youth substance abuse rates

No one likes to think about the youth in Washoe County engaging in risky behaviors, especially as serious as methamphetamine abuse. Yet, young do people take chances, and Washoe County is no different from other cities. The community must address substance abuse treatment capacity for adults, children, and families in order to reduce potentially negative health outcomes from risky behaviors.

According to the draft 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey results, 10.9% of Washoe County students reported that in the last 30-days they drove when they had been drinking, compared to 12.9% of Nevada students; and 27.2% of Washoe students reported riding with someone who had been drinking vs. 26.3% of Nevada students.  In addition, these percentages of Washoe students reported lifetime use of the following identified substances:  72.4% alcohol; 43.4% tobacco; 38.9% marijuana; 9.9% cocaine; 4.9% Meth; 13.1% inhalants; 4.4% steroids; 11.3% OTC drugs; 2.7% IV drugs; and 10.7% other substances (note that these percentages are lower across all substances than reported Nevada students).

substance abuse rates

The Behavior Risk Factor Survey has not been updated since 2001.  Note:  adult smoking includes respondents who have ever smoked more than 100 cigarettes and are current smokers.  Chronic drinking is defined as 60 or more drinks in the past month (through 2000).  Heavy drinking is defined (2001) as more than two drinks per day.  Certain survey questions are asked only in specific years.  Source:  http://health2k.state.nv.us/nihds/brfss/index.htm

obesity

Data sources vary for Nevada, but according to a 2006 report by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), Nevada’s adult obesity rate was 21.0%, ranking it the 42nd heaviest in the nation. Nationally, the obesity rate was 23.1%. Every state still exceeds the national Healthy People 2010 obesity rates of 15% by the year 2010. No state experienced a decrease in the last year reported.  TFAH recommendations include: community-driven efforts that increase access to healthy foods for low-income areas and improve the “built environment” (i.e., sidewalks, parks, bike paths); school-based efforts to strengthen physical fitness curricula and improve nutritional content; and employer-sponsored programs that offer more places and time to work out, subsidize health club memberships, and provide better insurance coverage for preventive services.  Trust for America’s Health

Most health ratings list obesity and overweight rates separately. The standard used by researchers to define a person’s weight according to their height is Body Mass Index (BMI). An individual is overweight when their BMI is 25–29.9. An adult with a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese. Local surveys to assess the prevalence of overweight for the Washoe County District Health Department reported 2003 obesity for Washoe County at 19.4%.  WCDHD

low birth weight babies

The national goal for low birth weight babies — babies born alive who weigh less than 2,500 grams (5.5 pounds) — is not to exceed 5% of live births. Washoe County and Nevada not only exceed the national goal, but low birth weight as a percentage of live births continues to rise.  This is alarming also because low birth weight babies experience more long-term developmental and neurological disabilities than normal weight babies.  According to the National Kids Count, Nevada ranked 41st in the country with a 13.6% preterm birth rate in 2004, compared to 12.3% rate nationally.  Annie E. Casey Foundation-Kids Count
Source:  http://kidscount.unlv.edu

leading cause of death rate

TMT tracked the leading cause of death in the past, and although the measure may not be as important as some other health metrics, the data do act as an early warning sign for certain diseases and associated behaviors.  Understanding the causes of death helps citizens assess health risks and allows the community to target education and prevention resources. Cause of death shows why the community is losing people who still should have productive years ahead of them. Lower respiratory and chronic liver diseases remain higher than the US.  Diabetes deaths were up in 2004, and with the percent of the population overweight or obese, it will be difficult for the county to improve that.

childhood immunizations

Vaccinations can reduce the number of children who contract severe illnesses and prevent the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases later in life. The national goal is 90% of all children immunized. In the early 1990s, the immunization rate for Nevada was under 40% for 2-year olds. Now it is over 70%. To reach the final 20-30% of 2-year olds will require a great deal more effort. Nevada continues to have one of the lowest immunization rates in the nation. The Nevada Immunization Coalition is committed to turning things around and sorting out their major barriers to reaching the children of Nevada.