Strategic Spartanburg

Low Birth Weight
This indicator shows low birth weight as a percentage of total births in Spartanburg County and South Carolina.  Low birth weight is defined as weight at birth less than 2,500 grams (5 pounds, 8 ounces), regardless of the period of gestation.  Spartanburg County and South Carolina rates are very similar and follow a national trend.  The National Center for Health statistics reports that incidences of low birth weight in the U.S. has increased since the mid-1980s.  In 2001, 7.7% of all births were low weight.  In 2002, the number increased to 7.8%, and in 2003 it rose again to 7.9%.

Very Low Birth Weight
This indicator shows very low birth weight numbers which include total number of births with weight less than 1,500 grams ( 3 pounds, 4 ounces), regardless of the period of gestation.

Immunizations (at age 2)
This indicator shows the percentage of children seen in public health clinics who were fully immunized by age two.  Immunization clinics in public health departments and those private practitioners participating in the Vaccine Assurance For All Children Program, (an immunization initiative for South Carolina), provides vaccines to children.

Infant Mortality
This indicator shows the trend in deaths per 1,000 live births in Spartanburg County and in South Carolina.

Hospitalization Rates (Heart Disease, Cancer, Stroke, Diabetes)
This indicator shows the number of cases from Spartanburg County treated in South Carolina hospitals per 100,000 of population, in the years 1998 and 2002.  Spartanburg County's rates of stroke and cancer exceed the state rates.

HIV/AIDS Frequency Rates
This indicator shows case rates of the HIV and AIDS per 100,000 population in Spartanburg County based on census estimates.  This is a prevalence rate and is based on a cumulative number of cases.  The United States Health Resources and Services Administration recently identified Spartanburg County as an "emerging community" - a metropolitan area with between 500 and 1,999 cases of AIDS for the most recent five-year period.

Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Rates
This indicator shows the trend in case rates per 100,000 of population in Spartanburg County and South Carolina based on census estimates.  In every case, South Carolina's rate exceeds that of Spartanburg County..  Information includes cases of Chlamydia, Syphilis, and Gonorrhea.  These infections are communicable diseases; they can be transmitted to other individuals.

Oral Health
This indicator shows the percentage of children in kindergarten and 3rd grade with urgent dental treatment needs, according to the 2002 South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) Statewide Oral Health Assessment.  The data is derived from a random survey, and brief dental screening, of 21,000 South Carolina students and is adjusted to reflect county, racial and socio-economic diversity.  The Basic Screening Survey was developed and validated by the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors.  Spartanburg County is compared to both the regional health district (Appalachia III) and to the State.

Drug & Alcohol Admissions
This indicator shows first-time admissions to the Spartanburg Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (SADAC) programs and is only a partial indicator of the need for these services in the county.  Each year, more Spartanburg County citizens with the chronic, progressive disease of addiction return to SADAC for additional services and support as they attempt to sustain lontg-term recovery.  Current estimates are that approximately one in every ten persons in the United States has a dignosable problem with alcohol alone.  In Spartanburg County, this translates to 25,000 lives impacted by alcohol, with scores more affected by other drug use as well.

Teen Risk Behaviors
Spartanburg County's participation in the Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS) South Carolina survey of adolescent substance and risk-taking reflects data from 5 of 7 school districts.  Nevertheless, it is presented here as the best available indicator of teen risk-taking attitudes and behavior in Spartanburg County.

Mental Health
The first chart shows the monthly number of service contacts from Spartanburg County in the Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center (SAMHC) and the payment methods used.  Medicaid has paid for the majority of mental health visits to SAMHC.  The second chart represents the age breakdown of clients at the SAMHC, showing an increase in admissions under the age of 18.

Overweight and Obesity
It is estimated that 62% of Spartanburg County citizens are overweight.  According to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, 60.3% of the population of South Carolina is overweight or obese.  In the United States, obesity has risen at an epidemic rate during the past 20 years.  Research indicates that the situation is worsening rather than improving.  The terms "overweight" and "obesity" differ:

Overweight refers to increased body weight in relation to height, when compared to some standard of acceptable or desirable weight.  Overweight may or may not be due to increases in body fat.  It may also be due to an increase in lean muscle.
Obesity is defined as an excessively high amount of body fat or adipose tissue in relation to lean body mass.  The amount of body fat (or adiposity) includes concern for both the distribution of fat throughout the body and the size of the adipose tissue deposits.