AUBURN – Risk factors for cardiovascular disease are high among people who live in Androscoggin County, but health leaders are seeking solutions to the problem.

That’s the bad – and good – news from a year-and-a-half study carried out by Healthy Androscoggin, a nonprofit community coalition.

The group draws 300 volunteers, including educators, law enforcement officers and health workers.

The group compiled data on health-related indicators such as substance abuse, obesity, diabetes and reproduction.

Angela Westhoff, the group’s executive director, said Tuesday the recent collection of data is a necessary first step toward finding ways to address critical health issues.

Community health leaders gathered Tuesday at Lost Valley Ski Lodge for a daylong summit where Westhoff and other organizers presented their findings.

Cancer is the second of the top causes of death in Maine. The rate of lung cancer in Maine is 60.9 out of 100,000, compared to 68.9 in the county.

Some of the findings were expected. Others were a surprise. The percentage for the county is first, followed by that of the state:

• diabetes: 27; 7.3;

• obesity: 25.7; 23;

• adult smoking: 24.5; 20.9; and

The rate of heart disease in Androscoggin County is higher than that in Maine, the study found. Of 100,000 Mainers, 237 had heart disease, compared to 262 in the county. In Maine, 61.3 out of 100,000 persons suffered stroke, compared to 66.9 in the county.

“If we can get people to stop smoking, eat better and move we can change” those statistics, Westhoff said.

The rate of youths using inhalants among middle-schoolers is significantly higher in the county than in Maine in general. That’s unexpected, Westhoff said.

Of concern, she said, was youth sexual behavior. The county has a high rate of teenage births: 36.5 per 1,000, compared to 24.9 statewide.

The number of sexually transmitted diseases infecting 15-year-olds and older also is much higher in the county, Westhoff noted.

The rate for HIV infection in Maine is 3.8 per 100,000, compared to 4.5 in Androscoggin County. Chlamydia in Maine is 142.3 per 1,000, compared to 251.6 in the county. Likewise, the rate for gonorrhea in Maine is 12.5 per 1,000, compared to 35.3 in the county.

More children under 6 in Androscoggin County have elevated levels of lead in their blood.

Some of the data used in the health assessment dates back to the last U.S. Census and likely needs updating, Westhoff said. Other data, including much of the youth information, is more current.

Part of the survey polled business leaders and other focus groups in hopes of learning what they feel are the region’s most pressing health concerns.

The group plans to conduct a follow-up health survey in 2011, using data from the updated 2010 U.S. Census, Westhoff said.

After opening remarks, attendees broke into discussion groups to develop solutions. Most agreed more data-sharing among agencies is needed, Westhoff said.