Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health

This discussion will focus on Fairfax County as one of the counties in Virginia and the most populous jurisdiction in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population estimates of the county as of 1st July 2022 amount to 1,138,331 people and has since shown a gradual increase since 2020; the US Census Bureau Statistics of 2022 offers the following statistics on different disciplines in Fairfax County: Age and Sex; Persons under 5 years at 5.7%, Persons under 18 years at 22.6%, Persons 65 years and over at 15.1%, and Female persons at 50.0%. Race and Hispanic Origin; White alone at 63.3%, Black or African American alone at 10.9%, American Indians and Alaska Natives alone at 0.6%, Asian alone at 20.9%, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone at 0.1%, Two or More Races at 4.2%, Hispanic or Latino at 16.8%, and White alone, not Hispanic or Latino at 48.5%. A majority of the population is white while blacks and other ethnic groups from the minority. Education; the education demographics as of 2021 following the US Census Bureau statistics states as follows; High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2017-2021 at 93.4% and Bachelor's degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2017-2021 at 63.5%. these statistics show that the population in Fairfax County is literate. Percentage of Uninsured; the latest statistics on uninsured people according to Data USA shows that, between 2019 and 2020, the percentage of uninsured citizens in Fairfax County, VA declined by 1.7% from 8.23% to 8.09%. Again, US Bureau statistics as of Persons without health insurance, under the age of 65 years, was at 7.4% as of 2021. Income and Poverty; the statistics on poverty as of 2021 US Bureau Statists are as follows; Median household income (in 2021 dollars), 2017-2021 at $133,974, Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2021 dollars), 2017-2021 was at $61,957, and Persons in poverty was at 7.1%. the county has underlying inequities in employment, housing, and income for minority groups. Whites are more likely to have higher incomes than other groups. The reasons behind the income levels and poverty levels based on race are questionable.