Simplified: The City of Sioux Falls this week released a community health assessment showing an updated and comprehensive look at health indicators across the city. Here's a look at some of the key takeaways from the 116-page document.
Why it matters
- The community health assessment is conducted every three years – typically in partnership with major health systems like Sanford, Avera and the VA Medical Center. Health leaders noted this year's data is particularly robust because of multilingual outreach efforts.
- This year's data shows some progress in areas like smoking and syphilis, but overall it's clear that where you live and how much money you make will ultimately determine how healthy you are.
- Health leaders said their key focus areas moving forward are access to care (particularly dental care), adolescent mental health and healthy living. At this point, though, it's just about taking in all of the data that's been gathered and figuring out what to do with it, Public Health Director Joe Kippley said.
"It's going to take a team effort," Kippley said in regards to any solutions or action items moving forward.
Tell me more about the report
There is a ton of data, and, as the city's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jennifer Tinguely put it, none of it is surprising.
Here are a few of the key points:
- Drinking and driving is going up.
- The percentage of driving deaths related to alcohol impairment increased from 28% in 2022 to 34% this year.
- Where you live determines how long you live.
- Some of the more affluent parts of town have a life expectancy of 85 years or more, whereas neighborhoods where folks are more socially vulnerable (i.e. less able to access healthy food, low-income, etc.) have life expectancies as low as 71 years. That's a roughly 17-year difference in life expectancy depending on what part of town you're in.
- It's also worth noting that discrepancy is also increasing. In the 2022 community health assessment, there was a 15-year difference in life expectancy across town.
- Some of the more affluent parts of town have a life expectancy of 85 years or more, whereas neighborhoods where folks are more socially vulnerable (i.e. less able to access healthy food, low-income, etc.) have life expectancies as low as 71 years. That's a roughly 17-year difference in life expectancy depending on what part of town you're in.
- Obesity rates are increasing.
- 37% of adults fall under the "obesity" category in Sioux Falls, compared to 35.5% in the 2022 report.
- Food insecurity is increasing.
- 9.2% of adults are food insecure, up from 8% in 2022.
- Leading causes of death for adults are cancer and heart disease.
- The leading cause of death for people age 10 to 29 is suicide.
- Thus the emphasis on adolescent mental health, specifically.
What happens next?
It's not super clear.
It'll take a collaborative effort, according to both city and private health officials. Though, not a ton of specifics were discussed during the press conference releasing the report.
The report doesn't outline specific action items. Rather, it lays out all of the data and kind of leaves it up to the readers to figure out what to do next.
"Solutions will require actions that go beyond the scope of public health, bringing together partners across policy areas and sectors," the report's conclusion reads.
