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32 Controllable Factor – Health Screenings Screenings refers to testing to find chronic diseases in individuals who do not experience symptoms. In men, prostate cancer can often be found early by testing the amount of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) in a man’s blood or through a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE). 79% of men survey respondents over 45 years of age reported having had a PSA test or a DRE. Majority of survey respondents, both men and women, report having had a mammograms and/or blood stool tests as a preventative health measure towards cancer, as shown in figure 24. Stroke Cerebrovascular disease (often resulting in stroke) is the disease that affects the arteries (vessels that carry blood away from the heart) of the brain. A stroke occurs when blood can’t get to the brain because the vessels burst or are clogged49. NC is part of the “Stroke Belt” - an 11-state region of the US where studies show that the risk of stroke is 34% higher for the general population than it is in other areas of the country. Other states include Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana and Virginia50. Orange County has seen a constant decline in stroke deaths, as seen in figure 25. 69.8 44.9 32.9 72.2 54 43.7 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 1999-20032004-20082009-2013 Figure 25: Age-Adjusted Stroke Death Rates per 100,000 Residents Orange County North Carolina 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120% Women over 40 who received a Mammogram All over 50 who received a Blood Stool Test Figure 24: Survey respondents self reported health screenings Total Respondents Respodents below 200% FPL Respondents over 200% FPL