In the past three years, Allen County has become a slightly healthier place to live. POVERTY CONTINUES to be the biggest enemy against healthy living.
The newly released 2013 County Health Rankings ranks Allen County 86th among the 102 participating counties in the state. In 2010, we were 94th.
Our southeast corner of the state is the least healthy; but of those 12 counties, Allen County has leapfrogged over its neighbors and now has the highest ranking of health qualifiers.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute conducted the massive nationwide survey. The study takes into account lifestyle behaviors, medical care, social and economic factors and the physical environment to measure an area’s mortality, length of life, as well as its morbidity, quality of life. Of the four, an area’s “social fabric” is most critical, including the level of education of its citizens, rate of employment and their average income, strong families and network of friends, and overall community safety.
Healthy behaviors also carry more weight in figuring the rankings compared to whether people have access to good medical care. Such behaviors include tobacco use, diet and exercise, alcohol use, and practicing safe sex.
As a county, 18 percent of our residents classify themselves as in poor or fair health, compared to a state average of 13 percent. That accounts for a higher number of missed days from work or school due from ill health or poor mental health.
More people in Allen County smoke compared to the state and national averages, and more are obese. Almost one-third of those 20 and older report they do no exercise — at least intentionally.
Almost one-third of our children live in poverty — double the national average and 25 percent live in single-parent households.
Compared to our neighbors we have a slightly higher number of residents who have some level of higher education; we have fewer teen births, fewer sexually transmitted diseases and communities that provide a better support system. That said, all of our markers were below state and national standards.
With an adequate income comes education. An educated populace knows how to better raise its children, which in turn leads to fewer teenage births, lower rates of tobacco and alcohol abuse and better preventive health care.
One of our region’s biggest outliers is the number of teen pregnancies we have — more than double the national average.
Making smart decisions, healthy decisions, makes all the difference to a region’s success.
— Susan Lynn
