Local health study pinpoints teen-age smoking, drinking
A recent study conducted by the Calvert County Community Health Improvement Roundtable found that while most local residents live longer, healthier lives than people elsewhere in the state or country, major concerns were identified among the county’s youth – particularly smoking and drinking.

According to the study, conducted by the University of Maryland’s Institute for Governmental Service (IGS), nearly 1 in 4 of the county’s young people smoke, although two-thirds said they had tried to quit in the past year.

Binge drinking is also higher among Calvert teens than in the state. Nearly 30 percent of 10th graders reported binge drinking, having five or more servings of alcohol in one sitting, in the 30 days before the survey.

Calvert Memorial Hospital President James Xinis said, "These areas will require a community based effort to be successful."

Xinis, along with Calvert County Health Officer David Rogers presented the study’s findings to the Calvert County Commissioners on Tuesday.

The roundtable, which represents a broad cross-section of local health organizations, schools and churches, began the countywide review of the community’s health in 2000.

A similar study, conducted in 1995, was the springboard for the formation of the roundtable, which successfully addressed a number of the gaps in service identified at that time – including interagency cooperation, school nurses and adolescent mental health services.

The goals of the recent study were to:

• determine the county’s health status,
• predict the health needs of the future, and
• identify health needs that are not being met, but that could be addressed with community action.

IGS gathered information in two ways – by conducting seven focus groups made up of 60 county residents representing a broad range of ages and interests and by collecting and reviewing census and health-related data from federal, state and county sources.

Focus group participants generally gave the county high marks for overall health services, the quality of care, the dedication of healthcare providers and mental health services. However, they raised several issues of concern, and access to health care topped the list, particularly for the poor. Limited public transportation was also listed as a major problem.

With the population growing so rapidly, particularly among seniors who are expected to triple from 2000 to 2020, focus group participants expressed concern about the effect of these changes on existing health services.
Xinis said the report "had good news and bad news." He pointed to prenatal care as a positive example of the quality health care available locally. "The statistics are a good reflection on the health department and the private obstetricians."

Based on the study’s findings, the roundtable chose five areas that the members felt could be improved by working through county agencies and organizations. These five top priority areas are – adolescent health, elderly care and end-of-life services, health information, pediatric dental care and the recruitment and retention of primary care providers.

Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and Calvert Memorial Hospital provided funding for the study. An executive summary of the study is available online at: www.co.cal.md.us/services/services.htm.