[Archived] Community Health Assessment Finds Most Alexandrians Relatively Healthy

City Press Release


	City of Alexandria, Virginia Office of the City Manager Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street, Suite 3500 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211 www.alexandriava.gov Telephone: 703.838.4300 Fax : 703.838.6343

For Immediate Release
January 25, 2005
PIO 025-05/rdo

Community Health Assessment Finds Most Alexandrians Relatively Healthy

A recent health assessment study finds that Alexandrians are relatively healthy, although there is room for improvement. The findings of the study, “A Healthy Outlook: The Alexandria Community Health Assessment 2004,” co-sponsored by the Alexandria Health Department and the Alexandria Public Health Advisory Commission (APHAC), were presented to the Alexandria City Council on Tuesday, Jan. 25.

The Health Department, in partnership with the APHAC, launched the citywide Community Health Assessment (CHA) in December 2002, and formed a CHA Steering Committee to implement the assessment. The CHA Steering Committee consisted of representatives from the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce; the Alexandria City Public Schools, School Health Advisory Board; the Alexandria Community Services Board; the Alexandria Health Department; the Alexandria Office of Youth Services; the Alexandria Public Health Advisory Commission; the Alexandria United Way; the City’s Department of Human Services, Multicultural Services; the City’s Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse; the City’s Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities; George Washington University; Inova Alexandria Hospital; and the Metropolitan Washington Assessment Center.

Over a two-year period, the Steering Committee sought to identify local health problems and effectively prioritize them. This included reviewing other available health assessments, choosing focus areas and specific health indicators within each area, and gathering community health data. The end of the two-year period focused on developing a priority list based on this data analysis, and on Healthy People 2010 targets – a comprehensive, nationwide health promotion and disease prevention agenda developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

A list of priority health indicators was created based on the problems Alexandria residents felt were the greatest threats to the health of their community. The largest proportion of residents identified obesity and mental illness as problem areas in the community. Poor eating habits and lack of exercise ranked as the most problematic health behaviors.

After comparing the results of the survey to the results of the secondary analysis, the CHA Steering Committee formed its final priority list for action: 1) obesity; 2) tobacco use; 3) substance abuse; 4) influenza; 5) cardiovascular disease; 6) diabetes; 7) teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS; 8) breast cancer and colorectal cancer; 9) severe accidents and injuries; and 10) tuberculosis.

For more information on Alexandria’s Community Health Assessment or to obtain a copy of the report, contact the Alexandria Health Department at 703.838.4872.

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