WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Cancer Reporting System (WCRS)
County Cancer Fact Sheets 2013
NATIONAL PROGRAM OF CANCER REGISTRIES
SUCCESS STORY
Public Health Problem: Ninety-seven percent
of Wisconsin counties have cancer death rates
exceeding the 2015 goal set by the Wisconsin
Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (WCCCP).
Ninety-two percent of Wisconsin counties exceed
the WCCCP 2015 state adult obesity goal, and 88
percent of counties exceed the 2015 state adult
smoking goal. In addition, research shows that
50 to 75 percent of cancer deaths are caused by
behavior primarily influenced by unhealthy eating,
physical inactivity, and smoking. The WI Comprehensive Cancer Control (WI CCC) Program and
the Cancer Health Disparities Initiative (CHDI),
both based at the University of Wisconsin Carbone
Cancer Center identified a need for increased public awareness of the issues surrounding cancer
and its effect on the community. These organizations jointly created the facts sheets with the
express purpose of increasing cancer awareness and promoting discussion about the impact
of cancer in families and communities throughout Wisconsin. While there are important personal
strategies to prevent cancer, communities can also
use this information for system change. With this
data, communities can conduct local needs assessments to learn about factors that influence their
health, as well as develop local initiatives that
address the environment and other factors that are
effective in reducing the cancer burden.
Use of Surveillance: For each of Wisconsin’s 72
counties, the County Cancer fact sheets present
the rate of cancer diagnoses and deaths as well as
smoking and obesity rates. The WI CCC Program’s
“Cancer in Your Community” fact sheet compares these rates to state goals, and suggests local
change to support healthy lifestyles that reduce
the risk of cancer. CHDI’s “Community Cancer
Profile” presents local economic, social and health
care system factors that shape cancer’s impact and
encourages counties to address broader influences
on health.
Data sources include Wisconsin Cancer
Reporting System incidence data as published on
Wisconsin’s Interactive Statistics on Health (WISH)
public use data query system, National Center for Health Statistics mortality data, National
Cancer Institute’s Cancer Trends Progress Report
2009/2010, American Cancer Society’s Facts and
Figures 2012 Report, the Wisconsin Behavioral
Risk Factor Survey data as published on WISH, the
Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan
2010-2015, United States Census Bureau, Bureau
of Labor Statistics and County Health Rankings
2013 at http://www.countyhealthrankings.org
Collaboration: The fact sheets were created collaboratively between the WI Comprehensive Cancer
Control (WI CCC) Program and the Cancer Health
Disparities Initiative (CHDI). These programs consulted with the stewards and epidemiologists of
the various data sources, including the Wisconsin
Cancer Reporting System and the WI Behavioral Risk Factor staff, both located in the Office
of Health Informatics, Division of Public Health,
Department of Health Services.
Public Health Outcome: These fact sheets were
recently released in June 2013, so the actual public health impact is yet to be measured. However
the intended outcome, according to Dr. Noelle
LoConte, UW Carbone Cancer Center oncologist is
“to increase cancer awareness and promote action
on the impact of cancer in communities throughout Wisconsin.”
The facts sheets have been distributed
on line, to Wisconsin legislators, and highlighted in local press releases since being posted
in early June. The fact sheets can be accessed
at: http://wicancer.org/countymaps.cfm