Health

Georgia’s health-related challenges include diabetes, infant mortality, and substance abuse

Maintaining and promoting community health is a key priority for state and local decision makers. Soaring health-care costs, large numbers of individuals and families without health insurance, a growing older-adult population, and the increasing importance of health-care costs on pension programs have an impact on community and economic well-being. The future vitality of Georgia will be affected by how it addresses the health-related challenges outlined below.

Births to Unwed Mothers

From 1994 to 2005, 37.1 percent of all births in Georgia were to unwed mothers. Only about one-third of the births to unwed mothers are to teenage women. The majority of the births to unwed women are by women in the 20 to 34 year age range.
(Graph - Number of Unwed Births)

Diabetes

The incidence of diabetes and deaths from this disease has been increasing at a rapid rate. From 1994 to 2005, 17,294 people died from diabetes and 4,262 were diagnosed with the disease. The African American population has been especially hard hit by diabetes.
(Graph - Diabetes Number of Cases)
(Map - Diabetes Rate of Death)

Infant Mortality

Georgia’s infant mortality rate, or the death of a child under one year of age, was 841.8 per 100,000 population in 2004. The U.S. average in 2004 was 679. Georgia has a higher infant mortality rate than Singapore, Hong Kong, Spain, Taiwan, and Cuba. In actual numbers, 13,237 Georgia infants died between 1994 and 2005.
(Graph - Rate of Infant Deaths)

Substance Abuse Related Death

Between 1994 and 2005, 2,698 people died of alcoholic liver disease (cirrhosis) and 2,315 people died from an overdose of drugs. In addition, 48,423 people died from lung cancer.

Related UGA Research, Outreach, and Teaching

This section is under construction.