NIAGARA — A virtual treasure trove of new health-related data on Niagara residents across their lifespans is expected to play a crucial role in shaping programs and interventions to better combat everything from alarming levels of mental health problems among young people to soaring numbers of 911 medical calls that are straining finite paramedic services.

The massive examination of health data carried out by staff at the region’s public health department over the last 18 months involved scouring nearly 50,000 lines of data from multiple sources covering everything from what drives people to call an ambulance and visit a hospital emergency room, to infectious diseases, behaviour related to chronic disease, and the top things that kill Niagara residents.

Known as the ‘life course’ method of analyzing and visualizing Niagara’s top health issues, the approach marks a major shift in how public health looks at its key mandate of illness and injury prevention, Niagara medical officer of health Dr. Valerie Jaeger told regional politicians on Tuesday.

Rather than tailor programs based on assumptions or best guesses, the wealth of new data should allow the region and the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) of which Niagara is part to make targeted investments aimed at key factors identified in the new analysis, said Jaeger.

“This is a different way of doing business for us,” she said. “(It’s) becoming more goal-focused. “

Jaeger said she was most interested in the actual health problems affecting Niagara residents at different ages and stages of their lives. “If we know what those are, we should then work backwards to see what programs would best influence them,” she said.

So she tasked her staff with the arduous process of collecting and analyzing the data that will now be presented to the local LHIN, the provincial agency that oversees decision-making on most health care expenditures in Niagara.

Among the more notable data uncovered was that being overweight/obese was the number one self-reported condition for every single age group from kids aged 12 and up to old adults, along with the fact that the top diagnosis for many older people being discharged from hospital is arthrosis — degenerative joint disease often requiring joint surgery or replacement, often the result of being inactive or overweight — highlighting the need to get kids and adults more active when 80 per cent of Niagara residents are sedentary, said Jaeger.

“Overall, it has a huge impact,” she said.

But mental health issues also emerged as a top priority to address. Psychiatric/behaviour problems were found to be among the top reasons for trips in ambulances for kids aged five up to adults aged 44; intentional self-harm was among the top five causes of death among teens aged 15 up to adults aged 44; and mood disorders such as bipolar disorder or depression and anxiety disorders were among the top five self-reported conditions in the 12- to 64-year-old age groups.

“The mental health piece comes up time and time again,” said Jaeger, who noted regional staff are already getting working on a mental health strategy across the age groups in Niagara.

The mental health data was jarring to Pelham Coun. Brian Baty, a former principal who spent his career working with young people.

“The thing that stood out to me is the early onset and prevalence of mental health issues in young people,” he said. “It was striking, but the facts don’t lie.”

Regional Chair Alan Caslin said the region could use the data as ammunition to convince the LHIN to invest in programs and interventions to target problem areas identified.

“You’ve done such a great job in presenting the data in a non-disputable way,” he said. “I think you’ve done all the right things to identify where the problems are. (It’s) remarkable.”

The fact the region has made improving Niagara’s economy a key priority is also important due to data showing people aged 45-64 have high rates of excessive alcohol or illicit drug use in Niagara, said Jaeger. Often, the basis for those problems are a weak economy, and the lack of self-esteem that can be attached to joblessness, she said.

The region has been forced to continue to add new ambulances and paramedic crews to its Emergency Medical Services department in recent years to try to keep 911 call response times at acceptable levels amid rapidly escalating call levels. A consultant hired to explore that issue told regional politicians last fall that massive new investments into the service will be needed in the next decade unless the region can somehow slow down those call increases.

But the new analysis now breaks down the top five reasons for ambulance rides by every age group, something which should help the region to begin bending the curve on EMS calls to hopefully slow the call volume growth by focusing on those factors that cause the most ambulance responses, said Jaeger.

Sinead McElhone, surveillance and evaluation manager at the region who took the lead on the new research, noted that acute upper respiratory infections associated with flu are among the top five diagnoses for everyone from infants up to adults aged 44 at hospital emergency rooms.

That should reinforce the need to double down on efforts to promote prevention strategies such as proper hand washing, she said.

“These are still preventable,” said McElhone. “They’re still the main reason young children are ending up in (emergency) departments.”

Jaeger said it’s believed Niagara’s public health department is the first in the province to be ready to present such detailed data by age group to the LHIN on how the health system is being utilized. Her department is in the midst of assessing what steps could be taken by public health, Niagara Health, which operates local hospitals, or the LHIN in light of the new data.

“We’re looking at transformative opportunities,” said Jaeger, noting there are critical ages in people’s lives when interventions can change health trajectories over the long term.

“If we get this right at a certain stage, we can reduce the impacts of these conditions,” she said.
Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn joined other regional politicians in heaping praise on the work to collect and analyze the data.

“It will have uses we haven’t even dreamed of yet,” he said.

Jaeger said her staff is willing to present the findings to local town and city councils or service clubs if they’re interested.

Original article can be accessed here.