KenoshaCounty nudged backward a few slots to a dismal 60th in this year’s edition of an annual report on health in Wisconsin’s counties. The report, issued today by the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Population Health Institute, measured health outcomes and determinants in the state’s 72 counties plus the city of Milwaukee, which was ranked separately. There is some good news for KenoshaCounty: Zero percent of our population is exposed to potentially harmful nitrates in drinking water, which ranks us No.1inthestateinthatcategory, and the county lags well below the state average in instances of automobile crash deaths. Now if we’d just stop smoking and start graduating from high school. Those factors, along with air quality, were some of KenoshaCounty’s greatest stumbling blocks in the institute’s report. Overall, Kenosha ranked 60th out of the state’s 72 counties in both health outcomes — a composite of mortality rates and self reported health status — and health determinants, which factors in variables such as access to and quality of health care, health behaviors, socioeconomics and physical environment. Last year, the county ranked 58th in both health outcomes and determinants. The rankings run on a scale in which 1 represents the best and 73rd is the worst. “I wouldn’t make too much of (that) change,” said Patrick Remington, the director of the institute. “In fact, that’s amazingly consistent, I would say.” Remington said Kenosha has remained consistently in the bottom quarter of the statewide rankings since the institute began issuing the annual report in 2003. Cynthia Johnson, KenoshaCounty director of nursing, said that stands to reason, as changing these sorts of numbers takes time. While some factors — such as air quality — are virtually uncontrollable on the individual level, Johnson said others such as smoking, obesity and high school completion are areas in which people can make positive behavioral changes. “A lot of these reports are about behaviors, ”Johnson said. “People can make positive changes.” Kenosha County ranked 55th in years of potential life lost as a measure of premature mortality. The county ranked 63rd in general health status, based on a survey that asked individuals to rate their general health status on a very good to poor basis. In KenoshaCounty, 15.4 percent of residents reported fair or poor health, above the statewide average of 12.5 percent. Remington said that statistic is largely what separated Kenosha from its neighbor to the north, RacineCounty, which ranked 47th in health outcomes and 64th in health determinants. According to the report, three of KenoshaCounty’s greatest health challenges are air quality, cigarette smoking and high school noncompletion. The county’s cancer risk rate ranked 67th, while its respiratory hazard index ranked 71st and its fine particulate matter ranking was 59th. The county’s ozone level ranked 68th. Cigarette smoking remained well over the statewide rate, as 31.8 percent of surveyed KenoshaCounty residents classified themselves as smokers, placing the county at 67th statewide. The statewide average smoking rate was 22.7 percent. The county’s 24.1 percent high school noncompletion rate also put it in the 67th slot statewide. The statewide noncompletion rate was 8.8 percent. Noncompletion was calculated in the report as the number of students who did not receive a regular diploma divided by the total number of students expected to complete high school. The report stated, “There is evidence that those who graduate from high school have longer and healthier lives than those who do not attain a high school degree and attain substantially higher incomes, affecting their socioeconomic status, which is strongly correlated with health over time.” Other highlights of the report include: Sexually transmitted disease rate: KenoshaCounty residents experienced sexually transmitted diseases at a rate of 447 per 100,000. The county ranked 65th statewide, but still below the statewide average of 482.7 per 100,000. That average was boosted by a rate that exceeded 2,237 per 100,000 in the city of Milwaukee. Teen birth rate: KenoshaCounty ranked 62nd with a rate of 39.3 cases per 1,000 teens. Divorce and single-parent households: The county ranked 61st and 68th, respectively. Obesity: The county ranked 42nd, reporting a 24.6 percent rate, just above the 22.1 percent statewide average. Violent crime: This presented a mixed bag for KenoshaCounty. While the county experienced 171 instances of violent crimeper100,000 residents—well below the state average of 293.3 per 100,000 — it ranked 60th. Motor vehicle crash deaths: KenoshaCounty fell below the state average with 12.5 deaths per 100,000 residents, ranking the county 14th statewide. Johnson said the institute report is one of several tools the county uses to evaluate and report on the area’s health outlook. She said efforts are continuing to be made, particularly through the Healthy People Kenosha County 2010 initiative, to improve the county’s health. That initiative includes partnerships between public, private, non-profit and voluntary groups that are seeking to identify and eliminate significant health and safety problems. Gary Brown, executive director of Kenosha Family and Aging Services Inc., said the rankings do not reflect positive ground that the county has gained in some areas including the teen birth rate, since other counties are also making improvements. Still, Brown said he is thankful to see such reports that shed light on the community’s health-related ups and downs. “I think the more information — especially locally — that people have about their community, I think that stimulates more productive discussion and more change,” he said.
