Appendix P: Health data
Health: Secondary Data
Because the service providers and community members who were part of this project did not mention health as a major issue in North Carolina, the secondary data obtained on health is simply listed below. Several interviewees did mention briefly a high obesity rate and high occurrence of teen pregnancies as problems in the county. However, these problems were not mentioned in the context of health. People seemed to feel that obesity and teen pregnancy are tied to themes like recreation and youth issues.
Birth Issues
Between 1994 and 1998:
- 12.1% of all babies born to mothers residing in the County were classified as low birth weight - only 8.8% of babies born in North Carolina had low birth weights (low birth weight = <2500 grams)
- 74.5% of pregnant women in Warren County received prenatal care - 83.1% of pregnant women in North Carolina received prenatal care
- In North Carolina and Warren County: Minorities had higher rates of low birth weight babies and lower rates of prenatal care than Whites.
- The infant death rate per 1000 live births was 7.0 in Warren County and 9.4 in North Carolina.
- In Warren County, the teen pregnancy rate for all races was 74.7 - In North Carolina, it was 60.9.
68.5 was the pregnancy rate for White teens in Warren County - 45.9 was the rate for White teens in North Carolina.
- The pregnancy rate for minority teens in Warren County (77.2) was higher than for Whites, but it was lower than the birth rate for minority teens in North Carolina (93.0).
- County Health Data Book, 1999
Morbidity Statistics - rates of disease and illness
- From 1994-1995:The total rate of gonorrhea cases in Warren County was 360.6 while in North Carolina the rate was 293.3.
- Between 1994 and 1998, the total syphilis rate in Warren County was 21.9 - higher than the corresponding rate for North Carolina - 14.5.
- The rate of hospitalizations due to asthma was 154.4 per 100,000 people in Warren County in 1997. This is higher than the rate for the state - 148.1 per 100,000 people. This may be due to a larger portion of the population using wood or kerosene heaters.
- The incidence rates per 100,000 people of all cancers, colorectal, lung, female breast, and prostate cancers from 1995-1997 were lower in Warren County than in North Carolina.
- County Health Data Book, 1999
Mortality Statistics:
Between 1994 and 1998 (rates are age-adjusted):
Due to illness:
- In general, most of the age-adjusted, sex-race specific mortality rates were lower in Warren County than in North Carolina with several exceptions.
- White men and minority women in Warren County had higher mortality rates cerebrovascular disease than their counterparts statewide.
- The total population of Warren County and specifically minority men had a higher mortality rate than the mortality rates due to all cancers for North Carolina
- White men in Warren County had a significantly higher rate of deaths from diabetes than the statewide rate
- Warren County women, both white and minority, had higher death rates from the infectious diseases of influenza and pneumonia than did women in North Carolina as a whole.
- County Health Data Book, 1999
Due to non-disease factors:
- With the exception of minority females, all of the subpopulations and the total population of Warren County had higher mortality rates from motor vehicle incidents than the corresponding groups in North Carolina.
- Warren County men, both white and minority, had higher mortality rates due to injury than rates in these populations in all of North Carolina.
- County Health Data Book, 1999
Access to Healthcare
Access to healthcare was an issue for some community members interviewed. However, it did not emerge as a major theme from interviews or focus groups. Several community members did mention that emergency services were often slow to reach many parts of the county because of the rural nature of Warren County. Only a few community members talked of Warren County's lack of a hospital. Most people who did discuss a hospital seemed to feel that the hospitals in Vance County or South Hills, VA served them sufficiently.
The following secondary data is simply a list of the access to care statistics available for Warren County.
Facilities and Practitioners
- Warren County does not have a hospital. People are generally treated at hospitals in Vance County or South Hills, VA.
- Medical clinics exist in Warrenton and outside the town elsewhere in Warren County. The Health Department and Vance-Warren Comprehensive Health Plan fulfill several of the health care needs in Warrenton.
- In North Carolina, there are 1,281 people per primary care physician (PCP). Warren County has 1 PCP for every 2016 people (County Health Data Book, 1999). Thus, the PCPs in Warren County are spread more thinly than the average in the state.
- There are 378 people per RN in Warren County and 113 people per RN in North Carolina (County Health Data Book, 1999). This may be due to the lack of a hospital facility in Warren County.
Health Insurance (as of 1995)
- Only 50.5% of Warren County residents have private health insurance - 64.5% of North Carolinians have private insurance.
- Warren County also has a higher percentage uninsured residents than North Carolina as a whole (17% and 12.8% respectively).
- 29.2% of people below the poverty line in Warren County have private insurance compared with only 15.8% of North Carolinians below the poverty line. This may be due to low paying jobs that offer health benefits but do not keep the people of Warren County out of poverty.
- County Health Data Book, 1999
Community Organizing Resources