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Healthy ranking has some weighty issues
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - April 13, 2012)
Healthy ranking has some weighty issues
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
There is good news and some not so good news.
While a national ranking of counties shows Geauga to be among the healthiest in Ohio, an assessment done locally shows residents still have a need for improvement.
The national ranking of counties, performed by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, placed Geauga second among the state's 88 counties.
The ranking looked at factors such as how many people smoke tobacco, access to health care and whether healthy foods are available. Health behaviors, clinical care, the physical environment and social and economic factors were considered the four major categories of the study, now in its third year.
Geauga finished second only to Delaware County, just north of Columbus.
Daniel Mix, a personal health services director with the Geauga County Health District, said Delaware County is now considered the fastest growing one in Ohio and that it has passed Geauga as the most affluent one.
The two counties have been vying for the top spot for the past three years, with Geauga taking the top spot for health outcomes this year after finishing second the past two years, Mr. Mix said.
The study showed improvements in terms of the quality of health of Geauga County residents and the air quality, he said.
Despite the gains, Mr. Mix said, there is still work to be done for a healthy population. Obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and excessive drinking, although lower in terms of percentages among all Ohioans, still remain a concern, he said.
A community health assessment conducted in 2011 shows Geauga lacking in clinical care for its residents. It ranks 10th in the state for clinical care, which is based on the ratio of primary-care physicians to the population, 1,205-to-1. It also includes the proportion of uninsured people in the county at 12 percent, the rate of preventable hospital stays per 1,000 Medicare enrollees at 62, the percentage of diabetic Medicare enrollees that received screenings at 86 percent and female Medicare enrollees who received mammograms at 69 percent.
Geauga County improved in having access to healthy foods because of the growing number of farmers markets being held, as well as its roadside stands of locally grown produce, Mr. Mix said.
But it still lacks healthy restaurants to compete with fast food offered in the county. For every restaurant with health offerings, there are two fast-food restaurants, he said.
Unhealthy lifestyles still offer a challenge to professionals here, he said. About one-quarter of the adult population is considered obese, with 21 percent reporting they lack physical activity in their lives. About 21 percent reported excessive drinking.
About 14 percent of the adult population reported being smokers, Mr. Mix said there is a troubling trend for the younger population. He said the rate for smoking among 11th- and 12th-grade students is double that of the adult population.
Health officials, incorporating 19 agencies, will begin looking at possible strategies for improving public health at an April 18 gathering. The health factors of most concern remain obesity rates, physical inactivity, smoking and excessive drinking.
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