Compared to other North Carolina counties, the findings ranked Wake first in overall health and second (behind Orange County) in factors that affect people’s health.
The report can be viewed online at www.countyhealthrankings.org, and it includes the research methodology and color-coded maps comparing overall health rankings. Researchers used four measures to assess the level of overall health for North Carolina by county, as follows:
1. the rate of people dying before age 75
2. the percent of people who report being in fair or poor health
3. the numbers of days people report being in poor physical and poor mental health
4. the rate of low-birth weight infants
“This reports indicates that, in general, the health of Wake County residents is in pretty good shape, and that the network of healthcare providers in the area is doing their job,” said Wake County Human Services Director Ramon Rojano. “It also helps to identify areas where we need to improve, and we will work together as a community to find solutions that address barriers to good health and help all our citizens lead healthier lives.”
The report looked at factors that affect people’s health within four categories, as follows:
1. health behavior
2. clinical care
3. social and economic factors
4. physical environment
Among the many health factors they looked at were:
· rates of adult smoking, adult obesity, binge drinking and teenage pregnancy
· the number of uninsured adults, availability of primary care providers and preventable hospital stays
· rates of high school graduation, number of children in poverty, rates of violent crime, access to healthy foods, air pollution levels and liquor store density
For more information about this research and the findings please visit www.countyhealthrankings.org.
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