Augusta University’s Healthy Georgia Report: Creating a document to better inform Georgia’s policymakers

Abstract

Background: In spring 2022, Augusta University’s Institute of Public and Preventive Health released the first Healthy Georgia: Our State of Public Health report. The report featured health measures organized by topic areas, including chronic diseases, communicable diseases, behavioral health, and prevention. The report was updated in January 2023 to coincide with the start of Georgia’s legislative session and will be updated annually to provide legislators and other key stakeholders with the most up-to-date snapshot of population health in Georgia. In this workshop, we will provide an overview of the report, share key findings, and invite input on ways to improve future editions and the most effective approaches for disseminating the report to key stakeholders.

Methods: Multiple data sources were utilized to provide information on a broad range of health measures including the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, National Survey of Children’s Health, and National Violent Death Reporting System. The report examines each health measure and compares Georgia to the entire United States as well as the Southeast region. In addition, it looks at health disparities within Georgia by race, sex, age, education, income, and rural/urban status.

Results: Generally speaking, adults in Georgia have higher rates of chronic conditions (hypertension, obesity) and noncommunicable diseases (cardiovascular disease) than the United States as a whole, but for many of these conditions, fares better than the Southeast region. Within Georgia, there are significant health disparities largely driven by education and income with some notable differences by race and rural/urban residence.

Conclusions: The Healthy Georgia report offers a comprehensive, comparative look at the health of the state’s population in a format that is intended to help state legislators and other key stakeholders make informed decisions when developing policies that impact the health of Georgia’s residents.

Keywords

population health, chronic disease, epidemiology, prevention

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May 1st, 12:00 AM May 1st, 12:00 AM

Augusta University’s Healthy Georgia Report: Creating a document to better inform Georgia’s policymakers

Background: In spring 2022, Augusta University’s Institute of Public and Preventive Health released the first Healthy Georgia: Our State of Public Health report. The report featured health measures organized by topic areas, including chronic diseases, communicable diseases, behavioral health, and prevention. The report was updated in January 2023 to coincide with the start of Georgia’s legislative session and will be updated annually to provide legislators and other key stakeholders with the most up-to-date snapshot of population health in Georgia. In this workshop, we will provide an overview of the report, share key findings, and invite input on ways to improve future editions and the most effective approaches for disseminating the report to key stakeholders.

Methods: Multiple data sources were utilized to provide information on a broad range of health measures including the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, National Survey of Children’s Health, and National Violent Death Reporting System. The report examines each health measure and compares Georgia to the entire United States as well as the Southeast region. In addition, it looks at health disparities within Georgia by race, sex, age, education, income, and rural/urban status.

Results: Generally speaking, adults in Georgia have higher rates of chronic conditions (hypertension, obesity) and noncommunicable diseases (cardiovascular disease) than the United States as a whole, but for many of these conditions, fares better than the Southeast region. Within Georgia, there are significant health disparities largely driven by education and income with some notable differences by race and rural/urban residence.

Conclusions: The Healthy Georgia report offers a comprehensive, comparative look at the health of the state’s population in a format that is intended to help state legislators and other key stakeholders make informed decisions when developing policies that impact the health of Georgia’s residents.