Report: Kentucky has many health gaps

Dec. 17--According to a new report, more than 2,800 deaths in the Commonwealth could be avoided if all residents in the state had a fair chance to be healthy.

The Kentucky Health Gaps Report from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps explores how wide health gaps are in Kentucky and what is driving those disparities between counties.

According to the report, if residents of all counties had the same opportunities for health in Kentucky, there could be 169,000 fewer adult smokers, 91,000 fewer adults who are obese, 62,000 fewer households with severe housing problems, 27,000 fewer people who are unemployed and 8,600 fewer violent crimes.

"As a country, we have achieved significant health improvements over the past century," the report stated. "We have benefited from progress in automobile safety, better workplace standards, good schools and medical clinics, and reductions in smoking or infectious diseases. But when you look closer, within each state across the country -- including Kentucky -- there are significant differences in health outcomes according to where people live, learn, work, and play. It is clear that not all Americans have the means and opportunity to be their healthiest."

Madison ranks 16th out of 120 counties in Kentucky, according to the report, in health outcomes -- length of life and quality of life.

Neighboring counties differed greatly with Fayette ranking fourth and Jackson County ranking 107th. Jessamine (5th), Garrard (47th), Clark (73rd), Rockcastle (89th) and Estill (97th) fell in between.

The report states 18 percent of Madison residents reported they were in poor or fair health which was below the state average of 21 percent. The county also had an 8.9 percent low birthweight rate which was just below the state average of 9.1 percent.

When it came to health factors -- health behaviors (smoking, obesity, inactivity), clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment -- Madison ranked 8th in the state.

Fayette (6th) was the highest among neighboring counties followed by Jessamine (24th), Garrard (52nd), Clark (53rd), Estill (82nd), Rockcastle (85th) and Jackson (113th).

Madison was below the state average in adult smoking (22 percent to 26), adult obesity (29 to 32) and physical inactivity (28 to 29). However, the state had a worse percentage of alcohol-impaired driving deaths (31 percent to 29).

Madison was above the state average in those younger than 65 and insured (17 percent to 16), and in the ratio of population to dentists and mental health providers, the report stated.

In social and economic factors, Madison had less children in poverty (23 percent to 26), violent crime (197 offenses to 235) and injury deaths (67 to 81) than the state averages.

In physical environment, Madison was at or worse than the state average in several categories including severe housing problems (16 percent to 14), long commutes/driving alone (30 percent to 28) and percent of residents who could be exposed to drinking water violations (10 percent to 9).

The report stated there were many meaningful gaps in the the state that policymakers and leaders may want to examine close. The report defines meaningful gaps as "those that are noteworthy or statistically different from a state or U.S. value for factors that have the greatest influence on health."

The categories include adult smoking, adult obesity, uninsured, preventable hospital stays, college education, unemployment, children living in poverty and income inequality.

The report also listed what can be done to close those gaps. They include ideas such as proactive tobacco quitlines, access to places for physical activities, health insurance enrollment outreach and support, behavioral health and primary care practice integration, dropout prevention programs, vocational training for adults, and earned income tax credits.

"The approach to reducing health gaps is not 'one size fits all,'" the report concludes. "Each state and community has different assets and opportunities they can use. Many communities across the U.S. are already addressing health gaps and building a culture of health. States and local communities have improved health by taking action and making changes. Just look at community revitalization efforts, the expansion of education programs that empower young people, and local and state economic development."

For a complete review of the report, visit http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/kentucky/2015/overview.

Jonathan Greene is the Editor of The Register; follow him on Twitter @jgreeneRR

___

(c)2015 the Richmond Register (Richmond, Ky.)

Visit the Richmond Register (Richmond, Ky.) at richmondregister.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.