Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention
Scroll to view the two dashboards on measures around chronic disease and injury prevention.
Chronic Disease Data
Chronic diseases are health conditions that last one year or more and require ongoing medical care and/or impact daily activities. Many chronic diseases can be caused by behaviors such as smoking, poor diet, lack of physical activity, and excessive alcohol use. Major chronic diseases include cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Injury Prevention Data
Injuries can happen when places are unsafe or when people behave in an unsafe way. Injuries are grouped into two categories: Intended and unintended. Preventing injury is one way to deter trauma and early death.
Historical Spotlight on Health
Lung disease is one of the leading causes of death in Rock County. Asthma is one example of a chronic lung disease that involves a narrowing or blockage of airways that reduce air flow. The history of asthma is often closely tied to social factors, access to healthcare, factors involving the environment such as air pollution, poor housing conditions, and exposure to allergens or irritants. Industrial areas or neighborhoods near busy roads have often experienced elevated asthma rates due to higher levels of air pollution.
Although air pollution has improved since 2007, Rock County has higher air pollution levels than many other Wisconsin counties.* Rock County is one of the highest counties in Wisconsin for its average number of asthma hospital stays of 2.7 per 10,000 people. Similarly, communities with older housing stock or issues with mold, pests, or poor ventilation have also been connected to higher asthma prevalence. Those living in lower-income neighborhoods or marginalized populations have often faced greater exposure to triggers from the environment and lack access to quality healthcare. This may result in higher rates of asthma and more severe outcomes.
Wisconsin Health Data, 2020-2022.
*See the data in the Environmental Health dashboard under the "Air Quality" tab.