Utah's health changes in the last decade will impact 2020
Jessica Miller with the The Salt Lake Tribune examined the trends that have fundamentally changed the state in the 2010s.
Miller reports in the Tribune "It is hard to ignore the seemingly ubiquitous vaping or the enduring tragedy of overdose deaths."
Here are the five major health trends Miller says define the past 10 years in Salt Lake City areas:
1.) Vape smoke in high schools
High schoolers often call school restrooms “vape rooms," and they hung out there more and more so as the decade went on. "Back in 2011, when Utah officials began asking teens about vaping, 1.9% self-reported they used e-cigarettes. By 2019, that number had jumped to 12.4%." The state’s latest Student Health and Risk Prevention survey, which is conducted in Utah public schools showed Utah students were significantly more likely to report trying alcohol and e-cigarettes than conventional cigarettes. "Teen use of cigarettes was highest in Uintah, Duchesne and Daggett counties, while e-cigarette use was highest in Weber and Morgan counties."
2.) Utah’s suicide rate increase
"The UT state suicide rate continued to rise, but there’s hope it will improve. The number of Utahns who have died by suicide has steadily increased over the past decade. There were 466 Utahns age 10 or older who died in 2010 — a rate of 20.6 deaths per 100,000 people. That number increased year by year, and, in 2018, there were 666 suicide deaths, a rate of 25.14. That means Utah has the sixth highest suicide rate in the nation, according to the most recent data (2017) from the CDC. But could this trend reverse in the next decade? State officials said in November that the year-to-year rate of suicide in Utah decreased this year — the first time in more than a decade."
3.) Rise of opioid and meth drug use
"Meth makes a deadly comeback as opioid remain a persistent killer. Prescription opiates hit Utah, and much of the nation, hard this decade but pill-related deaths have been declining in recent years. Heroin deaths are down, too, according to Meghan Balough, a state epidemiologist.There has, however, been a huge spike in meth-related overdose deaths, more than doubling in the past five years. Drug overdose deaths involving meth rose from a low of 31 in 2010 to 217 in 2018, according to records from the Utah Department of Health. In fact, meth-related deaths surpassed street heroin death for the first time last year. In many overdose deaths, multiple drugs are involved."
4. ) STD spike
"Sexually transmitted diseases became far more common. The state has seen a spike in sexually transmitted diseases, particularly chlamydia and gonorrhea, according to the state Health Department. The rate for chlamydia infections was 240 cases per 100,000 people in 2010. The rate rose to 333 by 2018. Gonorrhea was less prevalent, but the rates for that STD skyrocketed — an 834.7% increase — from 2010 to 2018, rising from 11.2 cases per 100,000 people to 91.6 cases. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are two of the more than 70 diseases that doctors, clinics and other providers are required to report to public health officials. The Utah Department of Health said the increase in chlamydia rates could be attributed to increasingly sensitive diagnostic testing, efforts to boost reporting by providers and labs and improved information systems for reporting."
5.) Health insurance coverage
More Utahns have at least some type of health insurance. In the past decade, while the issue was politicized, and while we fought over how much it should cost, more people signed up. "The number of Utahns without health insurance shrunk over the past decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census’ American Community Survey found that 8.7% of Utahns reported that they did not have health insurance in 2017, the latest available data. That was down significantly from 2010, when 15.5% of survey respondents in the Beehive State said they didn’t have coverage."
BrightStar Care is concerned for the health and well being of all our clients and for all Utah residents. We believe sharing knowledge and information regarding the issues concerning healthcare in our community are important. The Salt Lake Tribune article by Jessica Miller provides trends we all need to be aware of. To read the entire article by Miller CLICK HERE
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Source: https://www.sltrib.com/news/2019/12/30/how-utahns-health-changed/