The annual Healthy Georgia Report has been released by Augusta University’s Institute of Public and Preventive Health and it gives a snapshot of how Georgians stack up against not only neighboring states, but the country when it comes to a variety of health topics.
This year’s report has added information on adult dental health, poor mental health, skin cancer and overdose deaths. Information on HIV risk behaviors, breast cancer screenings and colon cancer screenings have also returned
The report has been delivered to lawmakers, community leaders and researchers in Georgia to provide them with tangible figures on how Georgia is faring in numerous topics. The goal is to stimulate conversations about public health needs and, in turn, promote action, such as policy changes, greater community engagement and the appraisal of funds.
Biplab Datta, PhD, assistant professor in the IPPH and the Department of Health Management, Economics and Policy, has collaborated with other IPPH faculty and staff to update the report. Datta has seen the impact this can have with state leaders.
“They have a good appetite for data driven policy changes. I think this report actually helps them in that direction,” said Datta. “We tried to present data in a way that policy makers may find helpful in deciding on appropriate policy choices.”
Overdose deaths is one of the new categories this year and is a hot topic nationwide. The report shows Georgia has the sixth lowest rate of overdose deaths in the country. Datta said that’s good, but the number is trending upwards and now should be the time to take steps to prevent it from getting worse.
“We cannot be satisfied. We are doing a good job but need to be on our toes to prevent it from further ascending,” Datta said.
Another category that Georgia is trending in a good direction is cigarette smoking. But the opposite is true for the obesity rate in the Peach State. The data shows Georgia has the 14th highest rate of…
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