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333629
Using the County Health Rankings to characterize the distribution of health factors within states


Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Hyojun Park, MA, Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Marjory Givens, PhD, MSPH, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Elizabeth Pollock, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Bridget Catlin, PhD, MHSA, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Background: Our health is influenced by the places where we live, learn, work, and play. However, not everyone, everywhere has the same opportunity to be healthy. Determining the distribution of health factors and outcomes from one community to the next can help identify needs and inform community actions. Since 2010, the County Health Ranking & Roadmaps (Rankings), a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, has provided county-level data to aid public health professionals and other community leaders with an interest in creating healthy communities. The Rankings measure the overall health and the many factors that influence health for nearly every county in all 50 states.

Methods: Data from the 2014 County Health Rankings were utilized to determine the distribution within each state for selected health outcomes and health factors, including years of potential life lost (YPLL), uninsured rates, access to primary physicians, unemployment rates, children in poverty rates, and median household income. Within states, the differences between counties were calculated as the ratio of the 90th percentile to the 10th percentile for each measure.

Results: Compared to the healthiest counties in each state, the least healthy counties had, on average, more than double the rates of YPLL (2.66), child poverty (2.62) and unemployment (2.40). The least healthy counties also had one-third the density of primary care physicians and more than 1.5 times as many uninsured compared to the healthiest counties within states. The largest differences in health factors between the healthiest and least healthy counties existed in southeastern states, such as Maryland (for income and child poverty) and Virginia (for primary physicians).

Discussion: Across counties in each state, substantial differences exist in health outcomes and the factors that influence health. Characterizing these differences can help state and local efforts to address needs and create opportunities for everyone to be healthy.

Learning Areas:

Epidemiology
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Identify the differences in health factors that exist between counties within states and describe similarities and differences nationwide. Describe the County Health Rankings tools and features and discuss resources available to communities to create opportunities that benefit all residents. Discuss programmatic and policy implications of our findings.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the author or co-author of multiple studies examining the county level differences with respect to health factors and health outcomes using the County Health Rankings data for years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4085.0: Poster Session - Diverse Topics in Public Health Epidemiology