Physical Activity Percentages

This is the third of three parts of the CDC assignment: it has a slightly different focus on the type of data collected. For this part of the assignment, you will again need to revisit the CDC website and follow these steps to complete the assignment:

1. From “Explore BRFSS Data by Location” click on the drop down box, select your state. Under “Class” select “Colorectal Cancer Screening”. The Topic will be “Sigmoidoscopy”. Then select the most recent year for which data are available.

2. To get demographic data, click the drop down box next to “View By”, observe the “Yes” responses for each of the demographic groups listed, and answer the following questions. In each category: (a.) Which group had the highest percentage of screening? (b.) Which group had the lowest? (c.) If you had to cross-list all of the categories (age, gender, race, education, income), who would be the person most likely to get screened; who would be the person least likely to get screened? Please note that this question does not say include data for every single category in each group, only the highest and lowest in each group. Your answer should be one composite picture of an individual (including all categories) for highest and one for lowest. Your “picture” should be a written description, not an actual picture.

3. Now click on the “Chronic Health Indicators” link and under “View One Indicator for All Locations” select “Cancer” for your Category. You will then gather data for four Indicators: (1) “Cancer of the Colon and Rectum – Mortality”; (2) “Cancer of the Lung and Bronchus – Mortality”; (3) “Cancer of the Female Breast – Mortality; and (4) “Cancer of the Prostate – Mortality”. For these indicators, how do these four mortalities in your state compare to each other? Which is worse? For these indicators, how do these four mortalities compare to each other across the United States as a whole?

4. After gathering and reporting all of your findings (in other words, there should be many questions answered before you reach this point), answer the following questions in your final analysis: (a.) is there a correlation between diabetes percentages and obesity-overweight percentages? (b.) is there a correlation between chronic illness (cardiovascular disease, diabetes) percentages and physical activity percentages? (c) is there a correlation between colorectal cancer screening and colorectal mortality? (d) based on the data you have collected, could the WHO’s Social Determinants of Health (SDH) be a factor in health disparities in the US? How and why? Do not give the definition of the SDH as your answer. Use what the SDH mean to support your answer.

As with the first two parts of the assignment, do not submit maps, graphs, etc. – just provide your analysis. No bullet points or outlines, please. This report should be written in essay format, double-spaced, 4 pages or less.