Mortality and Morbidity in California Social&Family Issues Example | Topics and Well Written Essays

Mortality and Morbidity in California - Essay Example

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"Mortality and Morbidity in California" is a wonderful example of a paper on social and family issues. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (FAST STATS, n.d.), California touts a rate of death lower than the national average (about 650 and 750 respectively when adjusted for age), suggesting good health management compared to the rest of the country. Examining the sources of morbidity contributing to death rates will provide multiple perspectives for understanding the overall difference between state and national mortality statistics.

While the morbidity rates differ between California and the United States average, the top contributing afflictions are virtually identical when comparing within-group rankings. Diseases of the heart are the most prevalent causes of death in both the state and country, but California reports slightly smaller numbers (BRFSS, n.d.). The second most contributor to death rates in each of these data sets is malignant neoplasms. Again, these conditions are slightly less prevalent in the state than in the country, about double the difference found between heart disease rates.

Diseases of the heart have a multitude of risk factors (Trust for America's Health, n.d.). Environmental stressors include pollution, social exclusion, and exposure to diseases or infective agents. Genetics are responsible for much of our biology and subsequent defects that could lead to diseases of the heart, and lifestyle linked to these afflictions include those that lack exercise and proper nutrition, and/or those that involve chronic environmental stress. The state has addressed the rates of heart-related diseases through the implementation of measures like the California Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program, which essentially acts as a task force that provides many services and recommendations.

Analyzing these rates and causes of death certainly helps to put healthcare priorities in perspective, and explains the need to devote time and resources to fight diseases of the heart and other major contributors to morbidity and mortality.