Health Status in Puerto Rico Improving, Secretary of Health Says

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 16 Jun 2004 - 16:00 PDT

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The health situation of people in Puerto Rico is improving markedly as a result of better promotion and education efforts, according to Dr. Johnny V. Rullán, secretary of health of Puerto Rico.

Speaking at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) today, Rullán said reforms in the health sector giving greater access to health facilities were combined with a "Health Recommends" campaign for better nutrition, physical activity, smoking cessation, and stress relief to improve health indicators.

The Health Department convinced restaurants, including fast-food places, to offer heart-healthy menus showing a red heart next to the healthy items, Rullán recounted. The restaurants found that sales of those items increased strikingly and the department received a distinguished public health service award for its health promotion efforts, he said.

"We don't believe in health fairs because they're usually one-shot efforts. Instead, we've launched wellness programs in 300 communities," using applied field epidemiology, electronic health information, and much better data collection and integration to focus on solving the most prevalent health problems, he said.

With a population of 3.8 million, Puerto Rico achieved a reduction in infant mortality from 19 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1980 to 9.2 deaths per 1,000 last year, and its average life expectancy is now 76 years, he said. However, women's life expectancy is eight years higher than men's, which has not risen over the past 30 years, he noted.

The leading causes of death in Puerto Rico are heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertensive diseases and accidents. These rankings led health officials to launch health promotion and prevention efforts to reduce the top four causes, and to launch its Healthy People 2010 program along with disease management efforts focusing on asthma, diabetes, hypertension and heart problems, Rullán said.

Continue reading this article in the web site of the Pan American Health Organization