Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency
Press Release
Oct. 2, 2008
County health status profile shows high death rate from alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse.
Redding – According to the 2008 County Health Status Profiles, Shasta County’s overall death rate was second highest among all 58 California counties.
If Shasta County’s death rate had been the state average, 688 fewer persons would have died prematurely each year during this period.
Specific causes of death that are very high in Shasta County include all cancers (with lung cancer the highest),chronic lower respiratory disease, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, unintentional injuries and drug-related death.
Tobacco, alcohol and other drug use are major root causes contributing to our county’s high death rate.The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and California Conference of Local Health Officers (CCLHO) just released this profile which shows Shasta County’s collective health status on a variety of leading diseases and conditions.
Unless otherwise noted, the data are based on three-year annual average rates during 2004-2006, the most recent available statewide.
Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable premature death in Shasta County. Shasta County had the fifth worst death rate in the state, 54 out of 58 counties, for both lung cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases. Lung cancer and chronic lower respiratory disease such as emphysema are mainly caused by the use of tobacco. At least one-third of all Shasta County cancers deaths are attributable to tobacco use, and tobacco is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease and stroke. The 2005 California Health Interview telephone survey found that 22.4% of Shasta County adults were smokers – the fourth highest percentage of any county in the state.
County Health Status
Excessive alcohol use is also a major factor contributing to Shasta County’s high death rate. The rate of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis deaths in Shasta County was eighth worst among all California counties. Chronic alcohol abuse is the main cause of cirrhosis of the liver, and risky behaviors such as injection drug use may lead to infection with Hepatitis C, a form of chronic liver disease. Really one-third of unintentional injury deaths were related to motor vehicle crashes, and 40% of motor vehicle crash deaths that occur in Shasta County are related to alcohol. Shasta County has a high density of retail alcohol outlets, and the easy availability of alcohol among underage drinkers can play a large role in the problem of binge drinking and DUI. Shasta County currently has one retail beer and wine outlet selling alcohol for off-site consumption for every 1,400 residents.
The California Department of Alcohol Beverage Control will not issue new liquor licenses in Shasta County until the density of alcohol retail outlets is less than one per 2,500 residents.
Drug-related deaths in Shasta County are more than twice the rate in the rest of the state for the fifth consecutive year, and Shasta County ranked fourth worst in the state. This cause of death has been increasing rapidly in recent years. One-third of all unintentional injury deaths are from poisoning, many of which are drug overdoses.
“The high death rate translates into a lower life expectancy for Shasta County residents,” said Donnell Ewert, MPH, Director of Public Health. “Many of our residents are dying early from preventable causes.”
To address this problem, Shasta County Public Health in partnership with Shasta County Mental Health/Alcohol and Drug programs, has developed several strategies to reduce and prevent alcohol, tobacco and drug use in our community. A summary of those strategies listed at the end of this press release.
“While State laws such as SB 7, which prohibits smoking in cars with small children present, and legal drinking age of 21 years help protect the health of our county’s residents, we need to explore what more we can do to reduce the number of people whose health is impacted by alcohol-, tobacco-, and other drug-related diseases,” said Ewert.
Fortunately, the news in the health status profile was not all bad. During this period, Shasta County had lower than average rates of death due to prostate cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and homicide. Also, Shasta County has relatively low incidence rates of communicable diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases.
Finally, birth related outcomes were fairly good with less late prenatal care, less than average low birth weight babies, lower than average teenage births, and greater than average breastfeeding initiation.
Shasta County Public Health addresses many of the above health issues, as well as other health concerns in our long-term Strategic Plan. For an online version of “Healthy Shasta County 2010: A Long-term Strategic Plan”, visit our website at www.shastapublichealth.net. A link to the County Health Status Profiles is also available on our website.
Summary of Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Alcohol-, Tobacco- and Drug-Related Death
Public Health and Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug are currently meeting with stakeholders and community partners to discuss policy options for reducing the impact of alcohol on our local community.
The “Healthy Babies Alliance,” which Public Health facilitates, partners with local physicians to help pregnant women who use tobacco, alcohol or drugs seek appropriate treatment and stay quit after delivery.
Since the start of the program, the Blood-borne Disease Prevention program has safely disposed of 1,582 pounds of used sharps through syringe exchange and sharps disposal kiosks located throughout Shasta County. This program helps prevent the spread of blood-borne disease such as AIDS, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
The Tobacco Education program collaborates with landlords and other agencies to advocate for smoke-free housing, an important step in reducing nonsmoker’s exposure to second-hand smoke.
The “Just Breathe” tobacco cessation program, which supports pregnant women to stop using tobacco, has recently expanded its efforts to also help moms and dads of young children.
Public Health and Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug funds local non-profits to use the 40 development asset model to build resiliency in children and youth, which reduces high risk behaviors such as tobacco, alcohol and other drug abuse.
Contact: Beth Thompson, CES, Supervising Community Education Specialist, 245-6857
Departments: Public Health and Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug
2650 Breslauer Way
Redding, CA 96001-4297
(530) 229-8484
FAX (530) 225-8447
