Exploring Public Health in Georgia and Metro Atlanta

Georgia Statewide

County Health Rankings

Atlanta Regional Commission

Regional Snapshot: June 2013

For more information contact: [email protected]

Health Factors & Outcomes Z-Scores

Factors Z-Score Outcomes Z-Score

Health Factors are what influence the health of a county. Such measures include tobacco use, diet and exercise, education, employment, community safety or physical environment quality.

Health Outcomes represent how healthy a county is. The two components of health outcomes are how long people live (mortality) and how healthy people feel while alive (morbidity).

Source: HRSA Area Resource File, 2011-2012, U.S. Census Bureau

* Negative Z-scores indicate relatively healthier counties

Statewide County Rankings: Health Factors

Top 10 Rankings

1. Fayette 6. Harris

2. Oconee 7. Cobb

3. Forsyth 8. Gwinnett

4. Columbia 9. Union

5. Cherokee 10. Bryan

These are the 10 healthiest

counties based on health

factors.

Source: HRSA Area Resource File, 2011-2012, U.S. Census Bureau

Statewide County Rankings: Health Outcomes

Top 10 Rankings

1. Forsyth 6. Cobb

2. Fayette 7. Columbia

3. Oconee 8. Morgan

4. Gwinnett 9. Coweta

5. Cherokee 10. Rockdale

These are the 10 healthiest

counties based on health

outcomes.

Source: HRSA Area Resource File, 2011-2012, U.S. Census Bureau

Health Factors Z-Scores: Variables

Income

Source: HRSA Area Resource File, 2011-2012, U.S. Census Bureau

Z-Scores Z-Scores measure how far a particular county deviates from the state average on a selected measure. Here we are looking at overall health factor z-scores. Negative z-scores mean that counties are relatively healthier than the state average. • This scatter plot shows that

income and the overall ranking on health factors are related – i.e. the higher the income, the lower the z-scores, thus the healthier the counties.

• Subsequent slides shows several of these scatterplots that tracks the relationships between socioeconomics and demographics to overall health.

Health Factors Z-Scores: Variables

Income

Population Age 65 and over

Non-White Population

Education

Source: HRSA Area Resource File, 2011-2012, U.S. Census Bureau

Health Outcomes Z-Scores: Variables

Income

Population Age 65 and over

Non-White Population

Education

Source: HRSA Area Resource File, 2011-2012, U.S. Census Bureau

Counties with Highest Access to Primary Care Physicians (per 100,000)

Source: HRSA Area Resource File, 2011-2012, U.S. Census Bureau

• Floyd County, with Rome as the county seat, has the highest number of primary care physicians per 100,000 at 117.

• Fulton County has the highest population in the state, and ranks No. 5 in Primary Physician rate.

• Of the top 20 counties listed, only four are located in the 20-County Metro area.

• Seminole County ranks No. 3 in primary physician rate, but has 170 preventable hospital stays per 1,000 Medicare enrollees.

Primary Physician Rate Preventable Hospital Stays

2012 County Population Estimates

Counties with Lowest Access to Primary Care Physicians (per 100,000)

Source: HRSA Area Resource File, 2011-2012, U.S. Census Bureau

• Macon County has the lowest rate of primary care physicians in the state.

• Paulding County, one of the 20-County Metro area counties, ranks 148 on primary care physician rate with a relatively high population at 144,800.

• Rural counties have a significantly lower rate of primary care physicians . However, this does not necessarily translate into higher numbers of preventable hospital stays.

2012 County Population

Estimates

Primary Physician Rate Preventable Hospital Stays

Preventable Hospital Stays and People Without Health Insurance

Source: Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, 2010, U.S. Census Bureau

• Dark purple indicates counties with high numbers of preventable hospital stays.

• There is a strong correlation between uninsured children and adults.

• Counties with the highest numbers of preventable hospital stays also have the highest rates of uninsured people.

Healthcare Costs Per Person and Household Income

Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2005-2011, U.S. Census Bureau

• Dark red indicates counties with higher cost of health care per person.

• Southeastern counties have a dense concentration of high health care costs in the state.

• Of these counties, the percentage of households with income less than $35,000 is 30% or greater.

• There is little connection between people who cannot access a doctor due to cost, household income, or average health care cost per person.

Obesity Rates and Educational Attainment

Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion 2009, U.S. Census Bureau

• Dark brown counties have the highest obesity rates.

• There exists a strong correlation between obesity rate and income.

• The lowest statewide obesity rates are found in the Northeastern and Metro-Atlanta counties.

Smoking in Relation to Cancer and Respiratory Deaths

Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2005-2011, U.S. Census Bureau

• Counties with no records have populations of 30,000 or less.

• Counties with the highest rate of smokers tend to be rural and less populated.

• Counties with high rates of respiratory deaths (over 150, per 100,000 population) tend to have high rates of cancer as well (200 or more, per 100,000 population).

STD Rate, Income and Non-White Population

Source: Georgia Department of Public Health, STD Program, 2009-2011, U.S. Census Bureau

• Dark purple indicates counties with higher STD rates.

• Counties with a non-white population of 50% or greater tend to have the highest rates of STDs in Georgia.

• Low-income counties do not show a significant correlation between STDs or non-white population.

YPLL 75 Rate, Education and Income

Source: Georgia Department of Public Health, 2009-2011, U.S. Census Bureau

• Dark brown indicates areas with high Years of Potential Life Lost before Age 75 (YPLL 75), which is a measure of premature death.

• Rural counties experience high rates (per 100,000) population) of YPLL 75.

• Higher YPLL 75 rates can be found in counties with lower educational attainment and lower income.

20-County Metro Atlanta: Income, Death Rate and Primary Care Access

• Dark green represents the wealthiest counties in terms of median household income.

• The graph shows that there is little correlation between death rate and primary care physician rates.

• County death rates are more closely correlated with levels of income and education.

Source: HRSA Area Resource File, 2011-2012, U.S. Census Bureau

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300

350 Cancer

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Source: Georgia Department of Public Health, 2009-2011

20-County Metro Atlanta: Teen Birth Rates

• Dark red represents the percent of births that are to women ages 10-19.

• Counties with high percentages of people 25 and older with no high school diploma and mothers who did not complete high school also have the highest rates of teen pregnancy.

• Poorer counties have higher rates of teen pregnancy.

Source: Georgia Department of Public Health, Maternal Child Health (MCH) Statistics, 2009-2011, U.S. Census Bureau

• Dark blue represents higher median household income.

• Single fathers bring home a bigger paycheck than single mothers in every county except for Rockdale: here, single mothers earn $4,459 more annually than single fathers.

• Both single mothers and fathers are below the median household income, highlighting a significant economic disadvantage.

20-County Metro Atlanta: Income for Single Mothers and Fathers

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

10-County Atlanta Area: Health Behaviors

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5

10

15

20

25

30

35

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Physical Inactivity

Obesity

Excessive Drinking

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Source: HRSA Area Resource File, 2011-2012, U.S. Census Bureau