Health Rankings in Miami-Dade
Miami-Dade (DA) County is ranked the second out of 67 counties of Florida regarding the length of life (mortality) and the fifth in the list of morbidity in 2019. The primary causes of premature death are cardiovascular issues, malignant neoplasms, type 2 diabetes, and cerebrovascular diseases (“Miami-Dade (DA),” 2019). The quality of life is the key to understanding the mentioned health outcomes. For example, poor or fair health is scored 21 percent compared to 19 percent of the average of Florida and 12 percent among the counties with the lowest indicators. Poor mental and physical health days are under the average numbers shown by the whole state yet higher than those of the US in general.
The critical health behaviors that affect the population of DA are adult smoking (14 percent), sexually transmitted diseases (471.1), obesity (23 percent), and food environment index (8.9). As for clinical care, patients face difficulties with underinsurance, dentistry, and preventable hospital stays. The social and economic factors include children in poverty (22 percent), unemployment (4.8 percent), and violent crime (602), but high school graduation (81 percent) is also present. The physical environment is characterized by increased rates of driving alone to work and severe housing problems. The food environment index is a potential improvement area that can be reached through the collaboration of the Florida Health Department and local food chains (resources) that can provide healthier food. To enhance the ranking in DA, one may suggest introducing more points to assess, such as vaccination rates.
Reference
Miami-Dade (DA). (2019).