General Health
In Humboldt County, 88% of residents report having good, very good, or excellent health, which is higher than the 84% of residents in California overall who report the same and ranks 11th in terms of quality of life.1 Among residents, 80.5% have some form of public or private health insurance.2 The percentage of those with insurance is expected to increase due to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act/Covered California, and future reports should tell us more about its impact.
Lung Health
According to the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, 17.7% of adults in Humboldt are current smokers, with only 6.5% of smokers reporting smoking 6 cigarettes or less a day.3 Additionally, 53.1% smoke indoors seven days a week.4 These numbers are significant because they are higher than California as a whole5, which could indicate that smokers in Humboldt County are habitual chronic smokers.
Between 2010 and 2012, the age-adjusted death rate for lung disease was 111.1 deaths per 100,000 population, which was the biggest killer of county residents aside from all cancers.6 This is significantly higher than the California rate of 87.1/100,000.7
Lung Cancer
The age-adjusted death rate for lung cancer is 42.8/100,000, making it the 6th leading cause of death in Humboldt County.8 This is much higher than the statewide age-adjusted death rate of 34.8 deaths per 100,000 population.9 Humboldt County ranks 43rd out of all 58 California counties in terms of lung cancer death rate.10 The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2014 Humboldt County will experience 85 new cases of lung cancer and 65 deaths from lung cancer.11 Additionally, men are significantly more likely to die of lung cancer than women.12 Between 2004 and 2008, the death rate for men was 63/100,000 people, whereas the death rate for women was 49.5/100,000.13
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
In Humboldt County, COPD is the 3rd leading cause of death, not counting all cancers combined.14 The age-adjusted death rate between 2010 and 2012 was 56.7/100,000, significantly higher than the California rate of 36.2/100,000.15 This death rate ranks 50th out of 58 California counties.16 Humboldt County has a rate of 210.5/100,000 years of potential life lost before age 75 due to COPD.17 This is almost double the average number of years for the state of California (123.3/100,000 years of potential life lost).18
Estimates of the average age-adjusted death rates for COPD in Humboldt County show that death rates have been decreasing over time.19 Additionally, from 2012 to 2013 the number of those diagnosed with COPD has decreased.20
Asthma
Out of all Humboldt residents, 18.8% have been diagnosed with asthma, higher than the 14.1% of California residents.21 Within the last 12 months, 15.9% of current asthmatics in the county have had an emergency room or urgent care visit for asthma.22 The area within zip code 95570, as well as the city of Eureka and the area zip code 95540 (which includes Fortuna), have the highest rate of emergency department visits due to asthma with an age-adjusted rate of at least 76.8/10,000.23 The areas with the next-highest rate of 57.6-76.8/10,000 are the areas around Arcata which are included in zip code 95521, as well as the areas within zip code 95562, which includes Rio Dell.24
Tuberculosis
In 2013, Humboldt County had two cases of tuberculosis and was ranked 34th out of the 58 counties in California.25 Further data are not available due to the low number of cases.
Influenza and Pneumonia
Humboldt County is ranked 13th among all California counties with an age-adjusted influenza/pneumonia death rate of 11.6/100,000 population, which is slightly lower than the prior year’s rate of 12.6/100,000 and also lower than the statewide rate of 16.1/100,000.26 The crude death rate for influenza/pneumonia is the highest among those age 75 and above.27
Sources
1. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2014). Humboldt County Snapshot. Retrieved from County Health Rankings and Roadmaps: http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/california/2012/rankings/humboldt/county/factors/4/snapshot
2. United States Census Bureau. (2012). 2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Retrieved from American Fact Finder: http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml
3. UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. (2012). AskCHIS. Retrieved from California Health Interview Survey: www.askchis.com
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
6. California Department of Public Health. (2014). County Health Status Profiles 2014. Retrieved from http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohir/Pages/CHSPCountySheets.aspx#h
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. American Cancer Society. (2014). California Cancer Facts and Figures. American Cancer Society.
12. Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services. (2013). 2013 Community Health Assessment. Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services. Data includes information for both Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.
13. Ibid.
14. California Department of Public Health. (2014). County Health Status Profiles 2014. Retrieved from http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohir/Pages/CHSPCountySheets.aspx#h
15. Ibid.
16 Ibid.
17. Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services. (2013). 2013 Community Health Assessment. Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services.
18. Ibid.
19. California Department of Public Health. (2014). County Health Status Profiles 2014. Retrieved from http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohir/Pages/CHSPCountySheets.aspx#h
20. Ibid.
21. UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. (2012). AskCHIS. Retrieved from California Health Interview Survey: www.askchis.com
22. Ibid.
23. California Department of Public Health. (2009). Asthma Hospitalizations and Emergency Department Visits. Retrieved from California Department of Public Health: http://www.ehib.org/page.jsp?page_key=125&year=2012&pmn=EVENT%3DASHO_TYPE%3DR10K_RACE%3DTOTL_AGE%3DTOTL_SEX%3DTOTL_MODEL%3DCONV&agezip=TOTL&geog=ZIP
24. Ibid.
25. California Department of Public Health. (2014). Report on Tuberculosis In California, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/tb/Documents/TBCB_Report_2013.pdf
26. California Department of Public Health. (2014). County Health Status Profiles 2014. Retrieved from http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/ohir/Pages/CHSPCountySheets.aspx#h
27. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Compressed Mortality 1999-2010. Retrieved from CDC Wonder: http://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D91;jsessionid=76F21A6EDBE44D273B55B7759CDFF033