Logan County Health District officials recently detailed some of the highlights for the 2022 County Health Rankings and Roadmaps Report, which shows a positive move forward in the county’s overall ranking based upon its health data.
Last year, Logan County ranked 51st of the 88 counties in Ohio. In the newly released 2022 report compiled for counties across the country, Logan County moved up to 36th of 88 counties in Ohio.
Now Logan County ranks overall in the higher middle range (between 50 to 75 percent) of counties in Ohio.
This report provides insight to the LCHD for “actionable data, evidence, guidance and stories to diverse leaders and residents so people and communities can be healthier.”
These county health rankings measure the length and quality of life to understand health outcomes and include health factors, such as: health behaviors (tobacco use, diet and exercise, alcohol and drug use, and sexual activity), clinical care (access to care and quality of care), social and economic factors (education, employment and income, family and social support, and community safety), and physical environment (air and water quality and housing and transit). The report looks at how Logan County measures up.
Noteworthy areas to highlight in this year’s report include:
• Logan County has a lower unemployment rate (7 percent) than the state and national averages (8 percent and 11 percent,
respectively).
• Logan County’s high school completion rate (93 percent) is 2 percentage points higher than Ohio’s average
(91 percent).
However, health officials related there is still work to be done to continue those improvements. Places for Logan County improvements include:
• Logan County has a higher rate of years of potential life lost before the age of 75 than the US average rate. This measure also reflects that Logan County improved from ranking 62 in 2021 to 44 in 2022.
• Access to exercise opportunities in Logan County is at 57 percent, as compared to the state of Ohio’s 77 percent and the United States’ 80 percent, meaning Logan County significantly lacks access to exercise.
• Adult obesity is higher in Logan County (at 38 percent) than in the state (at 35 percent).
• Of Logan County adults, 19 percent report poor or fair health, as compared to Ohio’s 18 percent and the United States’ at 17 percent, and also report more poor physical health days than the Ohio and national averages.
What does this mean for Logan County?
“We, the residents, business owners and visitors of Logan County, can continue to improve our ranking by reducing unemployment rates and increasing high school completion rates,” LCHD officials said.
“We can connect with and maximize available exercise opportunities and reduce our obesity rate. The Logan County Health District can work with you to create a worksite wellness program to help improve these areas.
“We can keep up on healthcare services like routine visits with providers and seek out other healthcare services when needed, like mental or behavioral health treatments. We have shown that our efforts in achieving a safe and healthy community are working, and now we must continue working toward improving our overall ranking even further. Looking forward to a safer and healthier 2022.”
A link to the full report is available by searching for “Ohio” and then “Logan County” at www.countyhealthrankings.org.