Epidemiology

Epidemiology is the study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why. Epidemiological information is used to plan and evaluate strategies to prevent illness and as a guide to the management of patients in whom disease has already developed.

Learn the Signs of Stroke

Know the signs of stroke

Prevalence of Stroke:

  • Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of long-term disability.
  • Stroke rates among adults younger than 65 increased by 15% during the last decade.
  • There was a significant increase (10%-20%) in stroke prevalence in California from 2011-2013 to 2020-2022.

In Sierra County, stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death.

  • The death rate (per 100,000) due to stroke has increased in Sierra County over the last decade; it was 30.6 from 2015-2017 and 37.9 from 2019-2021.
  • This is higher than California state overall, which was 37.2 from 2019-2021, and above Healthy People 2030 objective of 33.4 per 100,000. 
  • Sierra county ranks 30th in the state for deaths due to stroke.

Community Health Assessment

The 2023 Sierra County Community Health Assessment (CHA) is a planning process led by Sierra County Public Health with a goal for long term positive change in the health of the community. Health is affected not only by individual factors such as behaviors, genetics, and age, but also socioeconomic factors such as education, insurance access, income, and access to healthy foods. In order to analyze these factors, we have written the 2023 CHA.