Lewis County ranks 5th in poor health

According to a study released by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Lewis County ranks fifth in counties with the poorest health outcomes.

County Health Rankings, the first report to rank the overall health of the counties in all 50 states - more than 3,000 total - used a standard formula to measure how healthy people are and how long they live.

“The health of a community depends on many factors, including individual behaviors, the quality of health care, education, jobs and the environment,” said Health Commissioner Susan R. Cooper, MSN, RN. “While rankings like this can assist in seeing where the strengths and weaknesses are in a community, ultimately it takes all of us -- public health, health care, business, education, and government sectors and individuals -- to take steps and create programs and policies that will help people lead healthier lives.”

An online report, available at www.countyhealthrankings.org/tennessee/lewis includes a snapshot of each county in Tennessee with a color-coded map comparing each county’s overall health ranking. Researchers used five measures to assess the level of overall health or “health outcomes” for the state by county:  the rate of people dying before age 75; the percentage of people who report being in fair or poor health; the number of days people report being in poor physical health; the number of days people report being in poor mental health; and the rate of low-birthweight infants.

The report then looks at factors that affect people’s health within four categories:  health behavior, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment.  Among the many health factors included are 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.

“It’s important to remember that the health challenges that Tennesseans face can be improved,” said Randy Wykoff, MD, MPH, TM, dean of the College of Public Health at East Tennessee State University and interim director of the Tennessee Institute of Public Health. “This report provides every county in the state the information that it needs to identify its greatest health challenges and determine which should take immediate priority.”

The County Health Rankings lists the following as Tennessee’s top 10 for health outcomes: Williamson, Sumner, Rutherford, Moore, Blount, Wilson, Franklin, Chester, Knox, and Montgomery.

The top ten poorest listings by County Health Rankings are: Grundy, Fentress, Hardeman, Benton, Lewis, Hancock, Carroll, Cocke, Rhea, and Johnson.

www.countyhealthrankings.org/tennessee/lewis