Dickinson-Iron County Critical Health Indicators

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Heart Disease Deaths                                                                                           

What Is It?

The largest category of heart disease is ischemic heart disease, which is caused by diminished blood supply to the heart and usually results in a heart attack. In many cases, ischemic heart disease can be prevented by changes in lifestyle, such as quitting smoking, improving dietary habits, or increasing physical activity.

How are Dickinson and Iron Counties doing?

In 2000, there were 169 deaths due to heart disease in D-I County. The age-adjusted rate for heart disease death was 246.5 per 100,000 population. This rate is slightly lower than the state average of 287.6for the same three year period.

Heart Disease Deaths and Death Rates
Dickinson County Residents, 1995-2000

Three-Year Moving Averages
Year All Ages Age Under 50 Age 50 - 74 Age 75 and Older
Average
 Age-Adjusted
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate
1998-2000 111.7 264.9 ±29.0   2.0 11.4 ±40.8   28.0 419.0 ±10.9   81.7 2,996.9 ±6.4  
1997-1999 113.3 271.7 ±29.6   2.0 11.3 ±40.8   29.3 441.5 ±10.7   82.0 3,044.9 ±6.4  

Five-Year Moving Averages
Year All Ages Age Under 50 Age 50 - 74 Age 75 and Older
Average
 Age-Adjusted
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate
1996-2000 113.2 271.5 ±22.8   1.8 10.1 ±33.3   28.6 431.5 ±8.4   82.8 3,089.8 ±4.9  
1995-1999 116.0 282.3 ±23.5   2.4 13.4 ±28.9   28.6 433.8 ±8.4   85.0 3,225.1 ±4.9  
Note: The manner in which underlying cause of death is coded and classified was revised in 1999 to reflect changing medical opinion and practice. The comparability between classification schemes for this particular cause of death is high (0.99), meaning that the change should have little or no impact on the comparisons of mortality statistics over time.


Heart Disease Deaths and Death Rates
Iron County Residents, 1995-2000

Three-Year Moving Averages
Year All Ages Age Under 50 Age 50 - 74 Age 75 and Older
Average
 Age-Adjusted
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate
1998-2000 80.7 321.5 ±42.0   0.7 *    15.3 385.1 ±14.7   64.7 3,622.8 ±7.2  
1997-1999 87.7 346.4 ±43.0   0.3 *    18.7 468.7 ±13.4   68.7 3,875.1 ±7.0  

Five-Year Moving Averages
Year All Ages Age Under 50 Age 50 - 74 Age 75 and Older
Average
 Age-Adjusted
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate		 Average
 Age-Specific
Rate
1996-2000 79.8 319.3 ±32.4   0.8 *    16.8 421.6 ±10.9   62.2 3,518.9 ±5.7  
1995-1999 83.8 338.0 ±33.4   0.8 *    19.2 481.0 ±10.2   63.8 3,647.0 ±5.6  
Note: The manner in which underlying cause of death is coded and classified was revised in 1999 to reflect changing medical opinion and practice. The comparability between classification schemes for this particular cause of death is high (0.99), meaning that the change should have little or no impact on the comparisons of mortality statistics over time.


How is the State of Michigan doing?

The heart disease death rate has been higher in Michigan than in the U.S. since the mid-1970s. Michigan's 2000age-adjusted heart disease death rate of 278.5 was higher than the U.S. rate of 265.8. Heart disease was the leading cause of all deaths in the U.S. and the second leading cause of Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) in 1997.

How do Dickinson and Iron Counties compare with Michigan and the U.S.?
Heart disease remains the leading cause of all deaths in Dickinson/Iron as well as Michigan and the second leading cause of YPLL for people below the age of 75.

While Michigan has had a 19 percent decrease in Heart Disease deaths during the past decade, the Dickinson/Iron County rate has risen.

How are different populations affected?

In Michigan, 95 percent of heart disease deaths occurred to individuals aged 50 or older in 1998. In Dickinson/Iron Counties, 96 percent of all heart disease deaths are to individuals over the age of 50.

Men have higher heart disease death rates than women. In Michigan, the age-adjusted death rate for men was 359.3 compared to 236.5 for women in 2000. African-American males had the highest heart disease death rate at 360. In Dickinson/Iron Counties, the rates for men are higher. In 2000, 92men and 77women died of heart disease in Dickinson/Iron Counties. A rising trend of women having the same or higher rate of heart disease is recent as women are taking up many of the same risk factors for heart disease as men such as increased smoking, stress, diet, and lack of exercise.

What other information is important to know?

Smoking, physical inactivity, hypertension, obesity, and high blood cholesterol all contribute to the likelihood of developing heart disease. Other contributing risk factors include a family history of heart disease, age, gender, diabetes, and poor diet. Many studies have shown that the risk factors associated with heart disease can be reduced by early identification in conjunction with lifestyle changes and treatment.

What is the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department doing to affect this indicator?

The Health Department is actively working to decrease the incidence and impact of heart disease. Services include community awareness activities, media campaigns, and community health events such as the "Rockport Walking Fitness Test" and Project ACES - "All Children Exercising Simultaneously."

In cooperation with the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports and the Michigan Fitness Foundation, the department has sponsored the development and distribution of a model physical education curriculum for D-I County schools encouraging lifelong physical activity. The Health Department also participates with worksite and community health promotion programs with the Wellness Council of the Upper Peninsula.