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Health study puts Rock near bottom
By Sara Siekierski
Daily News staff writer
County ranks 69th of 72 in state
For the second year in a row, Rock County has slipped in the state's health rankings and now sits closer to the bottom, according to a study by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
Rock County ranked 69th out of 72 counties in Wisconsin for health determinants, which include quality of health care, health behaviors, socioeconomic factors and the physical environment, according to the study. Last year, the county ranked 65th.
Although the news is “depressing” for Rock County Health Department Interim Health Director Karen Cain, she said one year doesn't give the department a total picture of Rock County's health.
“This is just a snapshot of what's going on here in Rock County,” Cain said. “A lot of things are issues that need to be dealt with over the long-term.”
Those issues include smoking cigarettes, smoking during pregnancy and physical inactivity. The percentage of Rock County residents who are physically inactive decreased from 44.9 to 42.5 percent since 2007, but the number is still high, Cain said.
Smoking cigarettes and smoking during pregnancy continues to be a problem in Rock County, Cain said, and the numbers prove it. Cigarette smoking has increased from 26.8 to 28 percent, and smoking while pregnant has increased 18.6 to 19.2 percent.
How, then, does the Health Department deal with these issues? The answer is education, Cain said. In Cain's opinion, the Health Department does a good job of educating the public about healthy eating and exercise, the risks associated with smoking and safe sex practices. But, she supposes the department could do a better job.
“Most all of these things relate to more education,” she said.
As in the past, the county's environment continues to be a source of concern as it ranks 73rd, or at the bottom, of all Wisconsin counties and the City of Milwaukee, according to the study. Exposure to nitrates is one such environmental problem the county faces. The study estimates 78.1 percent of the county's population is exposed to nitrates in water, a huge jump from the estimated 40.7 percent in Wisconsin.
“There's not a lot we can do about nitrates in the water,” Cain said. “We have a farming community here.”
The Health Department offers testing on private wells for nitrates and educates the public on the importance of not giving contaminated water to infants and children, Cain said.
Lead poisoning from lead paint is also a problem in Rock County. About 33 percent of the homes in Rock County were built before 1950, meaning the potential is high that they contain lead paint, Cain said. An estimated 33.4 percent of the county's population has housing with an increased lead risk, according to the study.
“When people are remodeling their homes, we want them to take measures to eliminate lead paint,” Cain said.
Because lead poisoning is especially dangerous for children, Cain advises residents with older homes to have the Health Department do assessments on the homes and take necessary precautions to secure the paint.
On a positive note, the percentage of lead-poisoned children in the county decreased from 3.1 percent to 2.6 percent since last year, according to the study. Other improvements include the years of potential life lost and the percentage of residents with no health insurance.
“There are some things that are happening, but they're not happening in large enough numbers to help the county ranking go up,” Cain said.
Nearby Walworth County fared much better, ranking 26th in health determinants and 44th in health outcomes, which includes mortality and general health status. Ozaukee County was rated the healthiest county in Wisconsin this year. Others rated healthiest were Waukesha, Washington, Lafeyette and Buffalo counties. The least healthy places in Wisconsin were Menominee County, the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County and Adams County.
The Population Health Institute bases its study on more than 30 measures of health from more than 10 different data systems, according to Dr. Patrick Remington, director of the Population Health Institute. The rankings measure overall health as a combination of the mortality rates and quality of life reported in adults.
The rankings can be found on the Web site http://www.pophealth.wisc.edu/UWPHI/research/rankings_2008/rankings_2008.htm.
Find out more
The Rock County Health Department will host a public information session on the countywide health assessment that began in 2007.
Officials have been collecting data from community organizations and residents about health issues and the needs that are important to them. The session will discuss results of the UW Population Health Institute study as well as the countywide health assessment.
When: Tuesday, Dec. 9 from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Where: The Rock County Job Center, 1900 Center Ave., Janesville
RSVP to the Health Department by calling 608-757-5438 and ask for Laurie or call 608-364-2010.
For the second year in a row, Rock County has slipped in the state's health rankings and now sits closer to the bottom, according to a study by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
Rock County ranked 69th out of 72 counties in Wisconsin for health determinants, which include quality of health care, health behaviors, socioeconomic factors and the physical environment, according to the study. Last year, the county ranked 65th.
Although the news is “depressing” for Rock County Health Department Interim Health Director Karen Cain, she said one year doesn't give the department a total picture of Rock County's health.
“This is just a snapshot of what's going on here in Rock County,” Cain said. “A lot of things are issues that need to be dealt with over the long-term.”
Those issues include smoking cigarettes, smoking during pregnancy and physical inactivity. The percentage of Rock County residents who are physically inactive decreased from 44.9 to 42.5 percent since 2007, but the number is still high, Cain said.
Smoking cigarettes and smoking during pregnancy continues to be a problem in Rock County, Cain said, and the numbers prove it. Cigarette smoking has increased from 26.8 to 28 percent, and smoking while pregnant has increased 18.6 to 19.2 percent.
How, then, does the Health Department deal with these issues? The answer is education, Cain said. In Cain's opinion, the Health Department does a good job of educating the public about healthy eating and exercise, the risks associated with smoking and safe sex practices. But, she supposes the department could do a better job.
“Most all of these things relate to more education,” she said.
As in the past, the county's environment continues to be a source of concern as it ranks 73rd, or at the bottom, of all Wisconsin counties and the City of Milwaukee, according to the study. Exposure to nitrates is one such environmental problem the county faces. The study estimates 78.1 percent of the county's population is exposed to nitrates in water, a huge jump from the estimated 40.7 percent in Wisconsin.
“There's not a lot we can do about nitrates in the water,” Cain said. “We have a farming community here.”
The Health Department offers testing on private wells for nitrates and educates the public on the importance of not giving contaminated water to infants and children, Cain said.
Lead poisoning from lead paint is also a problem in Rock County. About 33 percent of the homes in Rock County were built before 1950, meaning the potential is high that they contain lead paint, Cain said. An estimated 33.4 percent of the county's population has housing with an increased lead risk, according to the study.
“When people are remodeling their homes, we want them to take measures to eliminate lead paint,” Cain said.
Because lead poisoning is especially dangerous for children, Cain advises residents with older homes to have the Health Department do assessments on the homes and take necessary precautions to secure the paint.
On a positive note, the percentage of lead-poisoned children in the county decreased from 3.1 percent to 2.6 percent since last year, according to the study. Other improvements include the years of potential life lost and the percentage of residents with no health insurance.
“There are some things that are happening, but they're not happening in large enough numbers to help the county ranking go up,” Cain said.
Nearby Walworth County fared much better, ranking 26th in health determinants and 44th in health outcomes, which includes mortality and general health status. Ozaukee County was rated the healthiest county in Wisconsin this year. Others rated healthiest were Waukesha, Washington, Lafeyette and Buffalo counties. The least healthy places in Wisconsin were Menominee County, the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County and Adams County.
The Population Health Institute bases its study on more than 30 measures of health from more than 10 different data systems, according to Dr. Patrick Remington, director of the Population Health Institute. The rankings measure overall health as a combination of the mortality rates and quality of life reported in adults.
The rankings can be found on the Web site http://www.pophealth.wisc.edu/UWPHI/research/rankings_2008/rankings_2008.htm.
Find out more
The Rock County Health Department will host a public information session on the countywide health assessment that began in 2007.
Officials have been collecting data from community organizations and residents about health issues and the needs that are important to them. The session will discuss results of the UW Population Health Institute study as well as the countywide health assessment.
When: Tuesday, Dec. 9 from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Where: The Rock County Job Center, 1900 Center Ave., Janesville
RSVP to the Health Department by calling 608-757-5438 and ask for Laurie or call 608-364-2010.
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tpav wrote on Nov 20, 2008 2:10 PM:
If it is vogue to throw the smokers in the now empty closet, don't forget the habitual drinkers. "