Wisconsin county health rankings for 2013 have been released and Vernon County is rated ninth in the state results.
Ozaukee was the top rated county in the survey and La Crosse came in at number 21.
Vernon County neighbors who also ranked well include Iowa County at seventh, Grant County at 11th, and Crawford County at 39th.
The County Health Rankings program has been compiling figures for four years, in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
According to the County Health Rankings website. the numbers show that how long and how well people live depends on multiple factors, including rates of smoking, education, and access to healthy food.
Some national trends this year show:
• Child poverty rates have not improved since 2,000, with more than one in five children living in poverty;
• The counties where people don’t live as long and don’t feel as well have the highest rate of smoking, teen births, and lack of physical activity, as well as preventable hospital stays:
• Teen birth rates are more than twice as high in the least healthy counties than in the healthiest counties.
The statistical information from County Health Rankings include the following comparisons between Vernon County and the State of Wisconsin:
Health factors and behaviors
• Adult smoking, Vernon 24% - State 19%
• Adult obesity, Vernon 28% - State 29%
• Physical inactivity, Vernon 24% - State 23%
• Excessive drinking, Vernon 25% - State 24%
Clinical care
Uninsured, Vernon 15% - State, 11%
Primary care physicians
• Diabetic screening, Vernon, 85% - State 90%
• Mammography screening, Vernon 62% - State 73%
Social and economic factors
• High School graduation, Vernon 91% - State 88%
• Some college, Vernon 56% - State 64%
• Unemployment, Vernon 6.8% - State 7.5%
• Children in poverty, Vernon 26% - State 18%
• Children in single-parent households, Vernon 18% - State 30%.
The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute strives to address real world problems of topical importance to government, business, providers, and the public; promote partnerships between researchers and users of research, breaking down barriers between the academic community and private sector policy makers; and make useful contributions to policy decisions that improve the health of the public.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health care issues facing the country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy organization devoted exclusively to the health and heath care of all Americans, they have worked for more than 35 years with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful, and timely changes affecting health and health care.
For more information, visit wwwcountyhealthrankings.org
