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HOME > ABOUT > PRESS > UNNATURAL CAUSES
Article published - April 14, 2008
Credit: COUNTY OF SONOMA
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES
Press Release
GROUND-BREAKING PBS SERIES EXPLORES CAUSES,
SEEKS SOLUTIONS TO AMERICA’S HEALTH CRISIS
Airing four consecutive Tuesdays beginning April 15th, 2008 on
KRCB Channel 22 at 9:00 PM. Special local segment at 10:00 PM on April 15th
Over the next month, an extraordinary PBS documentary series will explore how economic status, social conditions and race profoundly affect health, disease burden and life expectancy.
The television series Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? is presented in four separate segments and raises important questions regarding health with far-reaching social and political implications.
- Why does life expectancy in the United States rank 30th among industrialized countries in spite of our spending almost twice as much per person on health care as any other nation on the globe?
- Why are our infant mortality rates among the highest relative to other industrialized countries?
Unnatural Causes examines the alarming socioeconomic and racial disparities in health in our country and explores key research and initiatives addressing the causes. One of the most compelling research findings is the strong gradient to health whereby people tend to be sicker and die sooner as their socioeconomic status decreases within society. Poor Americans die an average of five years earlier than the middle class. But middle class Americans die three years sooner than those who are wealthy.
Here in Sonoma County our local data also reveals the strong relationships between disease risk factors, prevalence and social conditions:
- Sonoma County residents with higher levels of education have lower rates of diabetes and heart disease. (1)
- A higher percentage of Sonoma County residents in the lower income levels are obese compared to those in higher income categories.(2)
- Adults and teens in the lowest income levels are over twice as likely to be current smokers compared to those in the highest income category.(3)
- Infant mortality among children born to African American mothers in our county is almost four times higher than the rate of infants born to White and Latina mothers.(4)
Unnatural Causes in Our North Bay, a special segment airing at 10:00 PM on April 15th will stimulate important dialogue on what we can- and should- do to tackle health inequities in our community. This segment includes interviews with community leaders sharing a local perspective and data on this important issue. Interviews include:
- Oscar Chavez, Executive Director, Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County
- Dr. Mary Maddux-Gonzalez, Health Officer for Sonoma County
- David Goodman, Executive Director, Redwood Empire Food Bank
- Lisa Maldonado, Executive Director, North Bay Labor Council
- Dr. Marie Mulligan, Associate Director, Southwest Community Health Center
- Reverend Lee Turner, Santa Rosa
- Carl Wong, Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools
The Sonoma County Department of Health Services, Community Action Partnership of Sonoma County, Sonoma Health Access Coalition, the Sonoma County Medical Association Alliance and the Sonoma County Medical Association are partnering with KRCB-Channel 22 to bring this important series to Sonoma County.
Join the community conversation around these critical findings by viewing the series and listening to community leaders share a local perspective and data on this important issue.
More information on the Unnatural Causes series is available at www.unnaturalcauses.org Additional information on local viewing and Sonoma County data can be found at www.sonoma-county.org/ph/health
(1) Source: California Health Interview Survey, 2003 & 2005 for Sonoma County of Sonoma
(2) Source: California Health Interview Survey, 2003 & 2005 for Sonoma County of Sonoma
(3) Source: California Health Interview Survey, 2003 & 2005 for Sonoma County
(4) Source: California Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics, Birth Files, 2003-2005
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