Residents of Scotland, Richmond, and Hoke counties can take part in a national survey about Americans’ health and nutrition.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts the annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in randomly selected counties across the U.S. every year. It uses interviews and health screenings from about 5,000 participants to create a snapshot of the country’s health. The survey’s public database has been used to study racial disparities in conditions like high blood pressure and prevalence of behaviors like fast-food consumption.
The research is “used to develop public health policy and design health programs,” said National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey spokesperson Alexa Ortiz. “We also use it to update healthcare guidelines, so that’s why we want to make sure that it’s representative of the U.S.”
Scotland, Richmond, and Hoke counties were among 20 randomly selected locations for this year’s survey. The CDC will randomly select about 600 households in the three counties to participate, Ortiz said.
Survey employees will interview adults and children who take part in the program. Participants will also undergo a two- to three-hour health screening at a mobile examination center in the parking lot of the Scotland County Health and Human Services building in Laurinburg through mid-December.
The survey’s physicians will examine participants’ vision, hearing, and dental health and conduct blood tests. Some participants could have other tests, including a bone density scan, Ortiz said.
Survey employees will conduct follow-up phone interviews after the health screening to talk about dietary habits.
Participants will get Visa gift cards for each part of the survey they complete.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our community,” said Amanda Holland, director of Scotland County Health and Human Services. “We’re especially pleased and excited to help connect our community with an opportunity that provides meaningful health information while also contributing to a broader understanding at a national level of the health of Americans.”
Scotland and other rural southeastern North Carolina counties are among the least healthy in the state. Scotland and Richmond counties have disproportionately high rates of drug overdose deaths, diabetes, and stroke. They don’t have enough physicians to address residents’ needs, Holland said.
Hoke County’s health statistics are more in line with state averages, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps’ analysis shows.
Like many rural communities, Holland said, transportation is a major barrier to health care access in Scotland County. About 15% of adults in the county lack reliable transportation to work and medical appointments, compared to the statewide average of 9%, according to the county’s most recent community needs assessment. Holland said the county’s public transportation system, SCATS, isn’t sufficient to meet residents’ needs.
Scotland is the second-poorest county in the state. It had an unemployment rate of 4.7% in August–the seventh-highest in the state, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. Holland said many residents can’t afford to go to the doctor.
“These issues are all interconnected,” she said. “They can’t be addressed by public health alone. It does require collaboration among health care providers, community partners, schools, organizations, local governments, faith-based organizations, and our residents.”
Communities involved in the survey will not receive localized data, Ortiz said. But Holland said the screenings will educate Scotland County residents “who may not be as health literate as they need to be” and provide them with the tools to make positive changes.
“My hope is that residents see their participation as an investment in both their own health and the health of our community,” Holland said.