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Page 8 The INDEPENDENT, March 4, 2010 Women most likely to have stroke by Chris Thomas, Oregon News Service For a few years now, med- ical research has pointed to women’s increased risk of stroke as they age. A new study of 2,200 adults ages 35 to 64 has quantified it: Women are 2.9 times more likely to have a stroke than men of the same age. Although these women had lower blood pressure and better overall blood chemistry than the men, the women had more abdominal fat. The findings don’t surprise Dr. Bob Djergaian, director of Rehabilitative Services and Comprehensive Stroke Center at the Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver. He helps rehabilitate stroke vic- tims and is seeing more – and younger – women with heart problems. Stress might also be a factor, he says, as many women juggle jobs and care- giving at midlife and tend to put themselves last. He says eco- nomic stresses don’t help, ei- ther. “Unfortunately, we’re seeing too many people who can’t af- ford health care, can’t afford medication, and they’re not do- ing anything about it from that perspective. There’s also the issue of fast foods being cheaper and being less healthy. So, I think the econo- my is certainly creating some issues.” Djergaian’s stroke patients tell him they never thought it could happen to them – al- though they knew they weren’t eating right or getting enough exercise. He shares this ad- vice: “Work on all of the risk fac- tors, not just weight and activi- ty. Those are two of the critical ones, but especially people who have a family history of stroke and heart disease ab- solutely must look at their diet. Stop smoking, if they’re smok- ing; make sure their diabetes is under control, if they have it.” Djergaian says one of his team’s toughest challenges is getting people, even after they’ve had strokes, to stay ac- tive and keep the weight off. “It’s a major issue, and it’s one of the issues that reflects why there’s probably a higher incidence of stroke in the Northwest, both in men and women.” The American Heart Associ- ation says about 55 percent of Oregon women are either over- weight or obese. Until that changes, Djergaian predicts the numbers of strokes and heart attacks will continue to climb. The study, from the Keck School of Medicine at the Uni- versity of Southern California, was presented February 25 at the American Stroke Associa- tion International Stroke Con- ference. Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 14 Columbia County 13 in health ranking Benton County has the healthiest residents in Oregon, according to a new national re- port released February 17 that ranks each county in every state. The report, by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is the first annual “health checkup” rank- ing counties using such criteria as the length and quality of life of county residents as well as health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment. This is the first time people will be able to see how the overall health of their county compares to others in the state. “These rankings show that good health happens where we live, work and play, and the choices we make as a commu- nity. The report raises many questions and my hope is that our counties will examine the issues and improve the health in their communities,” said Mel Kohn, M.D., M.P.H., director of Oregon Public Health. After Benton, the top 10 counties in descending order are Washington, Clackamas, Polk, Hood River, Deschutes, Grant, Wasco, Wallowa and Marion. Gilliam, Sherman and Wheeler counties were not ranked because of inadequate data or data that were not com- parable to other counties. The lowest 10 counties are Coos, Curry, Linn, Josephine, Lincoln, Baker, Douglas, Lake, Klamath and Jefferson — which ranks as the least healthy county. Multnomah County came in at number 21 out of 33. Columbia County finished out of the top ten, ranking num- ber 12 in overall health, but beat Washington County in one category; Physical Environ- ment. Columbia County was rated 13 in this category com- paring to Washington County, rated 26. The report used five meas- ures to assess the level of overall health or health out- comes for Oregon by county: the rate of people dying before age 75, the percent of people who report being in fair or poor health, the numbers of days people report being in poor physical and poor mental health, and the rate of low- birth-weight babies. The report looked at factors that affect people’s health with- in four categories: health be- havior, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment. Some of the Dehydration can affect mood Dehydration has long been known to compromise physical performance. Now, a new Tufts University study provides in- sight into the effects of mild de- hydration on young athletes, and possibly into the lives of people too busy to consume enough water daily. About 30 male and female Tufts students were assigned to either a “dehydration group” not given fluids during athletics, or a control group that was giv- en water. Participants weighed in before and after athletics to assess body water loss. After athletic activity, partici- pants underwent cognitive tests, which included short- term memory and mood scales. Researchers found that dehydration was associated with negative mood, including fatigue and confusion, com- pared to the hydrated group. The level of mild dehydration (losses of between 1% and 2%) experienced among study participants is comparable to the mild dehydration some people experience in their daily lives from drinking insufficient amounts of water. 503-901-1705 Source: Tufts Health & Nutrition Update many health factors they evalu- ated included the rates of adult smoking, adult obesity, binge drinking, and teenage pregnan- cy; the number of uninsured adults; availability of primary care providers; preventable hospital stays; rates of high school graduation; number of children in poverty; violent crime; access to healthy foods; air pollution levels; and liquor store density. For example, Hood River County ranked first in access to clinical care but came in fifth overall. Even in the lowest ranked counties there were positive health factors. Jeffer- son, for instance, was ranked second for physical environ- ment. “A community’s health is de- termined by more than just its health care system. Health is everyone’s business. We can use the information in this re- port as a call to action for the health of all Oregonians,” Kohn said. The entire online report for each state is available at www.countyhealthrankings.org. Columbia County Mental Health 800-294-5211 ----------------- Suicide Hotline 1-800- 784-2433 or 1-800-273- TALK(8255) ----------------- Domestic Abuse Hotline 503-397-6161 or 866-397-6161