USA - Survey reveals health of Benton County
ROGERS - The leading causes of death for Benton County residents in 2006 were heart disease and cancer, mirroring the leading causes in Arkansas.
In an attempt to lower the risks for those diseases, the Arkansas Department of Health conducted a survey in March and April 2008 to study behaviors that put adults at risk for contracting heart disease and cancer.
Obesity ranked at the top of the at-risk behaviors with 63 percent of the 882 randomly surveyed reporting they were overweight or obese. Eighteen percent reported that they had not participated in any physical activity outside of the workplace for the previous 30 days.
Sixteen percent of the Benton County residents surveyed are considered to be in poor general health, 32 percent have high blood pressure, and 11 percent suffer from diabetes, according to the report.
Five percent of those surveyed reported being diagnosed with a myocardial infarction, 5 percent with angina, and 2 percent reported suffering from a stroke.
Oral health also poised itself as a major health concern for Benton County with 42 percent of those surveyed reporting that they have had permanent teeth pulled as a result of tooth decay or gum disease; 34 percent said that it had been more than a year since their last dental visit.
"This is good factual-based data that groups in Benton County can use to really focus in on some issues," said Loy Bailey, director of the county Health Department.
The purpose of conducting the survey was to identify weak areas of health so that county health departments and groups such as the Benton County Community Coalition can begin looking for ways to address the problem areas, said Letitia deGraft-Johnson of the Arkansas Department of Health.
"It is kind of an update on where we are with a variety of the issues that not only Benton County is looking at, but the whole state is faced with," said state Rep. Les Carnine, R-Rogers.
"Obesity is one of the issues we need to look at, due to the fact that it is causing so many other health problems," Carnine said.
Most of Benton County, Arkansas is fluoridated: NYSCOF
In an attempt to lower the risks for those diseases, the Arkansas Department of Health conducted a survey in March and April 2008 to study behaviors that put adults at risk for contracting heart disease and cancer.
Obesity ranked at the top of the at-risk behaviors with 63 percent of the 882 randomly surveyed reporting they were overweight or obese. Eighteen percent reported that they had not participated in any physical activity outside of the workplace for the previous 30 days.
Sixteen percent of the Benton County residents surveyed are considered to be in poor general health, 32 percent have high blood pressure, and 11 percent suffer from diabetes, according to the report.
Five percent of those surveyed reported being diagnosed with a myocardial infarction, 5 percent with angina, and 2 percent reported suffering from a stroke.
Oral health also poised itself as a major health concern for Benton County with 42 percent of those surveyed reporting that they have had permanent teeth pulled as a result of tooth decay or gum disease; 34 percent said that it had been more than a year since their last dental visit.
"This is good factual-based data that groups in Benton County can use to really focus in on some issues," said Loy Bailey, director of the county Health Department.
The purpose of conducting the survey was to identify weak areas of health so that county health departments and groups such as the Benton County Community Coalition can begin looking for ways to address the problem areas, said Letitia deGraft-Johnson of the Arkansas Department of Health.
"It is kind of an update on where we are with a variety of the issues that not only Benton County is looking at, but the whole state is faced with," said state Rep. Les Carnine, R-Rogers.
"Obesity is one of the issues we need to look at, due to the fact that it is causing so many other health problems," Carnine said.
Most of Benton County, Arkansas is fluoridated: NYSCOF
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