BATTLE MOUNTAIN - Lander County has been ranked number four healthiest in the state in the Health Factors portion out of 16 counties in Nevada (Esmeralda County was not ranked), according to the fourth annual County Health Rankings, released recently by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
In 2011, it was ranked number six and in 2010, it was ranked number 9. In 2012 it was ranked number two. The Health Factors consist of health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment.
For the third year, Lander County has been ranked as the 14th least healthiest county out of 16 counties in the Health Outcomes portion of the study. In 2011, it was ranked number 13 and in 2012 and 2010, it was number 14. The Health Outcomes consist of mortality and morbidity.
The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the RWJF did not collect any of their own information, said Julie Willems Van Dijk, associate scientist for the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
She said the two groups compiled data from numerous sources including phone surveys, census data and information from the FBI, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Dartmouth Institute.
Willems Van Dijk said around five people, including research scientists, graduate students and a physician, spent about six months compiling the 2013 data, which was taken from a several year time span.
The study looked at around 3,100 counties in all 50 states.
Willems Van Dijk encouraged people to utilize the roadmaps posted on the County Health Rankings website to help them live healthier lives. She said people can do small things to become healthier and can use the Health Rankings as a starting point.
"The reason we publish the rankings, this allows members of the community to get an annual check-up of their community's health so we encourage people to take this information and look at where they are doing well and where they are not doing well and work together to think about policies and programs to implement in their communities to improve health," said Willems Van Dijk.
The survey takes into account premature death, poor or fair health, poor physical health days, poor mental health days, low birthweight, adult smoking, adult obesity, physical inactivity, excessive drinking, motor vehicle crash death rate and sexually transmitted infections.
It also looks at the teen birth rate, the number of uninsured persons, primary care physicians, preventable hospital stays, diabetic screening, mammography screening, high school graduation, some college, unemployment, children in poverty and inadequate social support.
Also included in the survey are children in single-parent households, violent crime rate, air pollution particulate matter days, air pollution-ozone days, access to recreations facilities, limited access to healthy foods and fast food restaurants.
The survey shows Lander County has a 20 percent rate of poor health compared to a 17 percent rate for Nevada and a 10 percent national benchmark. All of the national benchmarks are the 90th percentile, i.e., only 10 percent are better.
It also shows Lander County residents as having 5.2 days per 30 days of poor physical health days as compared to 3.7 for the state and 2.6 for the national benchmark and 4.8 per 30 days of poor mental health days compared to 3.6 for the state and 2.3 for the national benchmark.
Lander County shows a rate of 19 percent for adult smoking while the state is at 22 percent and the national benchmark, which is the 90th percentile, is at 13 percent. The adult obesity rate for Lander County is 27 percent while the state is at 26 percent and the national benchmark is 25 percent.
Excessive drinking for the county is at 20 percent while the state percentage is at 19 and the national benchmark is at 7 percent. The study's error margin calculated to be 14 to 29 percent.
The excessive drinking measure reflects the percent of the adult population that reports either binge drinking, defined as consuming more than four (women) or five (men) alcoholic beverages on a single occasion in the past 30 days, or heavy drinking, defined as drinking more than one (women) or two (men) drinks per day on average.
The sexually transmitted infection rate was low when compared with the state and Humboldt County but high when compared with the national benchmark. Lander County has 139 chlamydia infections per 100,000 people with the state showing 358 and Humboldt County showing 218 cases. The national benchmark, which is the 90th percentile, is just 92.
Lander County's teen birth rate is slightly below the state number with 44 teen births per 1,000 population of teens ages 15 to 19 while the state is at 48 and the national benchmark, which is the 90th percentile, is sitting at just 21.
The survey shows the unemployment rate sitting at 6.6 percent with the state being at 13.5 percent and the national benchmark sitting at 5.0 percent. The study also shows Lander County as having 14 percent of children in poverty with the state having 22 percent and the national benchmark being at 14 percent.
More information and roadmaps can be found at the County Health Rankings website at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
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