How would we experience reduced cardiovascular disease mortality in our community?

Graham County will be a healthier place, with healthier residents, with a reduce in cardiovascular disease. Heart disease has a number of comorbidities that negatively impact the health of county citizens. With a reduction in heart disease, we may see a reduction in diabetes and obesity, thus positively impacting mortality for other comorbidities.

What information led to the selection of this health issue and related result?

Diseases of the heart were the leading cause of death for Graham County for the 2015-2019 time period, with a rate of 171.4 deaths per 100,000 population (NC SCHS, 2020). The availability of resources surrounding heart disease education and prevention is extensive, and programs can be implemented with existing systems. This is the most feasible of the selected priorities in terms of implementation. However, decreasing the prevalence of heart disease takes years. Obesity was identified as an issue due to its link to heart disease, mental health, and other chronic diseases, along with the high percentage of the community who fall in the Obesity and Obese categories; 45.5% of Graham County residents are obese, while 77.7% of the residents are overweight. This is an increase from 70% in 2018 (WNC - Healthy Impact Data Workbook, 2021).