Health behaviors and risk factors have a major impact on an individual’s ability to achieve better health outcomes. Onslow County residents should utilize resources available in the community to help increase healthy behaviors and reduce their risk factors. Residents should also have access to needed health services. Onslow County data shows that chronic conditions and other health-related topics such as breastfeeding, nutrition, and access to affordable health services are still priority issues for the county. 

Leading causes of death in Onslow County include: cancer, heart disease, chronic lower respiratory diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, and diabetes (NC State Center for Health Statistics, 2019). Making healthy choices like eating healthy, avoiding too much alcohol, getting regular physical activity, and practicing good sleep habits can help reduce the likelihood of getting a chronic disease.  

Getting a head start on health can help prevent chronic disease and these healthy behaviors are easier to start in childhood and adolescent years. For infants, breastfeeding can help provide short- and long-term protection against illnesses and diseases such as asthma, obesity, type-1 diabetes, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) (CDC, 2021). As of July 2022, Onslow County estimates 35.1% of infants receiving WIC benefits are breastfed with a goal of reaching 40% of infants breastfeeding.  

An area of concern in Onslow County includes the teen birth rate. The 2022 County Health Rankings show Onslow County as 99th for teen birth rate (1 – best, 100 – worst). Teen pregnancies have immediate and long-lasting costs for teen parents and their children. CDC data (2021) links teen pregnancies and births to higher school dropout rates among girls and their children are also at higher risk of lower educational attainment.