General Health
San Mateo County currently ranks 2nd out of the 58 California counties in overall health.1 79.1% of the population reports being in “Good”, “Very Good”, or “Excellent” health.2 In San Mateo County, 96.4% of residents have health insurance, almost 4% more than the rest of California. Fortunately, the Affordable Care Act/Covered California will likely lower the number of uninsured and future reports should tell us more about the impact on the community.3
Lung Health
The first biggest killer of Del Norte County residents is lung disease.4 However, fortunately, the age-adjusted death rate for lung disease (including lung cancer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, asthma, influenza and pneumonia) is 67.3/100,000 population, lower than the California rate of 90.2/100,000.5, 6Smoking in San Mateo County is at an all-time low! In 2016, approximately 10% of the San Mateo County’s population identified as a current smoker, a decrease from 15.5 % in 20037. Men and Asian adults are most likely to smoke.8
Lung Cancer
In San Mateo County, the death rate from lung cancer is lower than the overall California rate (24.8 vs 30.6 per 100,000 population), but is still the biggest killer of all cancers.9 Smoking remains the number one cause of lung disease. In San Mateo County, a quarter of all deaths can be attributed to smoking.10 North County residents are most likely to be affected by lung cancer than other areas of the County, and the highest lung cancer incidence is among African-American men and women.11
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
An estimated 27,998 individuals in San Mateo County are thought to be living with COPD, equal to approximately 3.7 % of the total population.12 The estimated death rate in San Mateo County due to only COPD (including emphysema and bronchitis) is 28.2 deaths per 100,000 people, with the highest death rate among white individuals 85 years and older, followed by those more than 85 years old.13 Men in San Mateo County are also more likely to die of COPD than women.14
Asthma
As of 2013, approximately 18% of adults in San Mateo County have been diagnosed with asthma.22 Asthma prevalence is highest in North County (20%), followed by Mid-County. Among children, asthma prevalence has risen to 14% since 2001.15 These cities also experience higher rates of unemployment and large concentrations of low income individuals living at or below the federal poverty level. 16
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis rates in San Mateo County have been consistently higher than California and U.S. averages since 2003, with a 2017 incidence of 7.1 cases per 100,000 population.17 Recent population shifts and increased immigration from TB burdened countries have also driven increases in TB incidence in San Mateo County and significant health disparities exist. From 2006-2010, there were 26 TB cases per 100,000 population among Asians and only 2.0 TB cases per 100,000 population reported among whites.18
Pneumonia
In 2016, deaths due to pneumonia occurred in San Mateo County at a rate of 11.6 deaths per 100,000 with females more likely to die from pneumonia than males.19 Most pneumonia-related deaths occurred in the 85+ age group.20 The age-adjusted death rate for influenza/pneumonia in San Mateo County is 12.9 per 100,000, which is higher than the California rate of 16.1.21
Bibliography
1. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2018). County Health Rankings. Retrieved September 2018 from http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/california/2018/rankings/san-mateo/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot
2. UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. (2018). California Health Interview Survey (2016). Retrieved September 2018 from http://ask.chis.ucla.edu/
3. California Department of Health Care Services (2018). Affordable care act (2016). Retrieved September 2018 from http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/individuals/Pages/AffordableCareActLinks.aspx
4. California Department of Public Health. (2018). County Individual Data Sheets 2018. Retrieved 2018 September from https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/CDPH%20Document%20Library/CHSP-SANMATEO.pdf
5. Ibid.
6. California Department of Public Health. (2018). County Asthma Profiles, Del Norte 2018. Retrieved 2018 September from https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CCDPHP/DEODC/EHIB/CPE/Pages/CaliforniaBreathingCountyAsthmaProfiles.aspx
7. UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. (2018). California Health Interview Survey (2016). Retrieved September 2018 from http://ask.chis.ucla.edu/
8. California Department of Public Health. (2018). County Health Status Profiles 2017. Retrieved September 2018 from https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/CDPH%20Document%20Library/OHIRProfiles2017.pdf
9. Healthy Community Collaborative of San Mateo County. (2018). Community health needs assessment 2016. Retrieved from September 2018 http://www.pamf.org/mpsh/forms/CHNA_MPSH_16-18.pdf
10. Ibid.
11. American Lung Association. (2018). Estimated Prevalence and Incidence of Lung Disease (2016). Retrieved September 2018 from http://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/research/monitoring-trends-in-lung-disease/estimated-prevalence-and-incidence-of-lung-disease/
12. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Compressed Mortality. Retrieved September 2018 from http://wonder.cdc.gov/
13. Ibid.
14. Healthy Community Collaborative of San Mateo County. (2018). Community health needs assessment 2016. Retrieved from September 2018 http://www.pamf.org/mpsh/forms/CHNA_MPSH_16-18.pdf
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid.
17. Healthy Community Collaborative of San Mateo County. (2018). 2017 Tuberculosis Annual Report. Retrieved September 2018 from https://www.smchealth.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/tb_2017_annual_report.pdf
18. Healthy Community Collaborative of San Mateo County. (2018). Community health needs assessment 2016. Retrieved from September 2018 http://www.pamf.org/mpsh/forms/CHNA_MPSH_16-18.pdf
19. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). WONDER Database. Retrieved June 18, 2014, from http://wonder.cdc.gov/
20. Ibid.
21. California Department of Public Health. (2018). County Health Status Profiles 2017. Retrieved September 2018 from https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHSI/CDPH%20Document%20Library/OHIRProfiles2017.pdf