Here's to your health

SANDPOINT — Bonner County residents aren’t the poster population for Idaho health, but they’re still in pretty good shape based on new study results.

According to a survey conducted by the University of Wisconsin, Bonner County ranks 12 out of 42 counties in overall health, an improvement from its 16th rank last year. By comparison, Kootenai County ranked the highest in the panhandle. Shoshone County ranked the lowest, finishing second to last in statewide ranking and last in factors such as smoking, drinking, obesity, sexually transmitted diseases and impoverished children.

Study numbers indicate that countywide health isn’t tied to any particular region. Panhandle Health District public information officer Cynthia Taggart said that with one of the state’s top and bottom rankers sharing a border, this year’s results make that clear.

“It’s impossible to generalize based on a region,” she said. “The study shows completely different results from county to county.”

Bonner County not only improved its general rank this year — it also made strides in several key areas. The percentage of smokers decreased from 21 percent to 20 percent. Adult obesity dropped from 23 percent to 22 percent. Motor vehicle-related deaths decreased to 21 percent from 22 percent. The teen birth rate tumbled from 33 per every 1,000 to 32 per 1,000. Finally, the percent of people with easy access to healthy food providers increased from 19 percent to 27 percent. 

“But the big things I found most telling was the data for the percentage of uninsured adults and the unemployment rate,” Taggart said.

In the case of adults without medical insurance, the numbers climbed from 18 percent to 19 percent. As for the unemployment rate, it escalated from 6 percent to 10 percent. The number of children in impoverished homes increased from 21 percent to 23 percent.

The results are part of a five-year study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that ranks all Idaho counties except for Clark and Camas based on several health factors, lifespan length and general wellness. It gathers data from the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, the National Center for Health Statistics, the U.S. Census, the American Community Survey and other national research projects. The 2011 numbers released today mark the study’s second year.

The rankings looked at factors in four categories: Health behavior, clinical care, social and economic factors, as well as the physical environment.

Those broke down rates of adult smoking, adult obesity, excessive drinking, and teenage births; the number of uninsured adults, availability of primary care providers, and preventable hospital stays.

To view the full study results, visit http://www.countyhealthrankings.org and select Bonner County on the interactive map.  

• Hagadone News Network writer Tom Hasslinger contributed to this story.