The Community Health Institute (CHI) was contracted by the Northern Strafford County Health and Safety Council (NSCHSC) to develop a Community Health Profile for the six municipalities that make up the Northern Strafford County Region: Farmington, Middleton, Milton, New Durham, Rochester, and Strafford.

This profile uses available data to paint a picture of who lives in these communities and what the leading health issues residents of our region are facing.

It is our hope that the information presented in this profile will be useful in planning programs to improve the health or Northern Strafford residents.

In the Northern Strafford County Region…


Demographics:

• The proportion of residents who hold at least a Bachelor’s degree (15.3%) is almost half that of the state (28.7%)

• The median household income in the region is slightly higher than the national average but less than the state average

• The proportion of families living below the poverty level is much less than the national average and on par with the state

• Over 40% of the population over 65 years is living with some type of disability; over 20% of 21-64 year olds are living with disability

Maternal and Birth Data:

• A significantly higher percentages of births are paid for by Medicaid, births to mothers with less than a high school education and births to unmarried mothers

• Maternal tobacco use is over 21.5%, that’s over twice the Healthy NH 2010 goal of 10%

• The teen birth rate and pregnancy complications in 15-24 year olds are nearly double that of the state’s

Leading Causes of Death:

• Heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death

• Suicide is in the top 10 leading causes of death ranking it higher than in national data

• Accidents are the leading cause of preventable death for residents 34 and younger

Chronic Disease:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death

• Lung cancer rates for males and females is significantly higher than state and national rates

• Emergency Department discharges were more than 3 times higher than the state, on average

Injury:

• There are significantly higher rates of ambulatory discharges for injury and poisoning for every age group.

• Children ages 5-14 experience 48.2 poisonings compared to 12.9 in the state

• Osteoporosis fractures are less common than in the state

Behavioral Health:

• Discharge rates for neurotic disorders, depressive disorders, and affective psychosis are significantly higher, sometimes as much as 4 times, than the state averages