Chronic health issues plague Dorchester at higher rates than the Boston average, according to a 2015 community health needs assessment overseen by DotHouse Health. The survey, which was presented at a forum last Thursday, cited barriers to adequate health care and education as contributing factors to the situation.

The Fields Corner health center undertook the assessment to learn more about the health risks and care available to the community, which included Dorchester residents and patients at DotHouse.

The study drew on demographic information from existing data on social, economic, and health indicators in Dorchester. The assessment comprised two surveys – one with 139 DotHouse staff and board members, the other a multi-language survey of 129 DotHouse patients – focus groups, and interviews with seniors, neighborhood youth, men of color, and Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking community members. Gaps in interpreter services are among the barriers to adequate care listed in the report.

The results were consistent with groups identifying the same problems across Dorchester, said Michelle Nadow, director of DotHouse. “There’s a lot of crossover between the responses, so that makes me think we’re on the same page,” Nadow said. “We don’t need to worry, ‘Hey, we could be missing something,’ ” she said.

The report divides Dorchester into two segments, per the Boston Public Health Commission's data breakdown. The northern portion of Dorchester comprises zip codes 02121 and 02125, including Grove Hall, Bowdoin-Geneva, Uphams Corner, Savin Hill, and Columbia Point. The southern portion includes zip codes 02122 and 02124 – Fields Corner, Meeting House Hill, Neponset, Port Norfolk, Ashmont, Codman Square, Lower Mills, and Cedar Grove.

Residents in the northern neighborhoods see rates of obesity, diabetes, and asthma substantially above the city average, with the southern section either comparable or slightly above the average. Comparing northern and southern parts of Dorchester to Boston, diabetes rates are, respectively, 8 percent and 7 percent versus 6 percent; asthma rates are, respectively, 18 percent and 11 percent versus 11 percent; and obesity rates are, respectively, 31 percent and 24 percent versus 21 percent.

Both regions dwarfed the city average in rates of sexually transmitted diseases, which participants said underlined the need for better sex education. The incidence of chlamydia and gonorrhea in the northern areas were more than double that of the city average. Boston reported a rate of 766.7 cases of chlamydia per 100,000 population, while northern Dorchester’s was 1,543.7 and southern Dorchester’s 1,279.8.

Assessment participants suggested poverty and accompanying complications as a root cause of health inequity.

“While the percentage of South Dorchester residents living below poverty level (19.3 percent) is comparable to that of the city overall (21.2 percent), 29 percent of North Dorchester residents are living below poverty,” according to the report. “DotHouse, by contrast, serves a population in which 80.3 percent of patients are below poverty level.”

Forum attendees offered feedback regarding possible health care improvements in light of the report. Access to fresh produce, community fitness programs, and educational programs were among the improvements mentioned.

“Some of the interesting things that came up are things we’re already doing in a way, but [they] need to have a bigger audience or take place on a larger scale,” Nadow said.

The 56-page report can be accessed at dothousehealth.org/documents/FinalDotHouseCHNAReport_92315.pdf.