MONROE - Green County ranks 30th for health outcomes and 10th for health factors among Wisconsin's 72 counties, according to a report released Feb. 17 by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
RoAnn Warden, director of Green County Health Department, is pleased with the ranking.
Green County's ranking, and that of Wisconsin, "is result of a lot of factors," she said.
"From that snapshot, in healthy behavior we ranked very well," Warden said. "But in one area compared to the rest of the state - one area that jumped out at me was our adult obesity."
Green County adult obesity was at 27 percent, compared to the state value of 25 percent.
"That is one area Green County Community Coalition is starting to look at, with our health care providers, schools and businesses," she said.
The coalition is scheduled to meet Friday at the Health Department to review the report.
Warden said the county is also still too high in smoking during pregnancy and motor vehicle accidents.
"We're still addressing those and they can be improved," she added. "There's always room for improvement."
Lafayette County ranks 34 for health outcomes and 53 for health factors.
Wisconsin is ranked 12th overall in the nation, according to America's Health Rankings 2009; the state was 17th in 2008.
In contrasting measures of population health and its determinants, the rankings help public health professionals, community leaders, policy makers and consumers discover how healthy their county is and to uncover strategies to reduce disparities and improve community health, the report said.
The report, with supplemental maps and charts, is available online at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
Researchers used five measures to assess the level of overall health or "health outcomes" for each county. The measures included, the rate of people dying before age 75; the percent of people who report being in fair or poor health; the numbers of days people report being in poor physical and poor mental health; and the rate of low birth weight infants.
Green County ranked well in health behaviors (5), clinical care (23), social and economic factors (21), and the physical environment (17). Lafayette County ranked 57, 71, 16, and 16, respectively, in health behaviors.
Among the many health factors 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.
Ozaukee County has the healthiest residents in Wisconsin, while Menominee County is the least healthy county. Wisconsin's next four healthiest counties are St. Croix, Washington, Waukesha and Portage. The next four counties in the poorest health are Milwaukee, Marquette, Jackson and Adams.
Dr. Patrick Remington, associate dean for public health at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health said in the report that it shows that there are big differences in overall health across Wisconsin's counties.
The healthiest of Wisconsin's 72 counties are largely suburban counties near the city of Milwaukee and on the border with the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area; the least healthy counties are primarily located in rural areas of central and northern Wisconsin with the exception of Milwaukee County, the state's most urban county in the southeast.
"It's easier for people to lead a healthy lifestyle when they live in a healthy community - such as one that has expanded early childhood education, enacted smoke-free laws, increased access to healthier foods, or created more opportunities for physical activity," Remington said. "We hope this report can mobilize community leaders to learn what is making their residents unhealthy and take action to invest in programs and policy changes that improve health."
RoAnn Warden, director of Green County Health Department, is pleased with the ranking.
Green County's ranking, and that of Wisconsin, "is result of a lot of factors," she said.
"From that snapshot, in healthy behavior we ranked very well," Warden said. "But in one area compared to the rest of the state - one area that jumped out at me was our adult obesity."
Green County adult obesity was at 27 percent, compared to the state value of 25 percent.
"That is one area Green County Community Coalition is starting to look at, with our health care providers, schools and businesses," she said.
The coalition is scheduled to meet Friday at the Health Department to review the report.
Warden said the county is also still too high in smoking during pregnancy and motor vehicle accidents.
"We're still addressing those and they can be improved," she added. "There's always room for improvement."
Lafayette County ranks 34 for health outcomes and 53 for health factors.
Wisconsin is ranked 12th overall in the nation, according to America's Health Rankings 2009; the state was 17th in 2008.
In contrasting measures of population health and its determinants, the rankings help public health professionals, community leaders, policy makers and consumers discover how healthy their county is and to uncover strategies to reduce disparities and improve community health, the report said.
The report, with supplemental maps and charts, is available online at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
Researchers used five measures to assess the level of overall health or "health outcomes" for each county. The measures included, the rate of people dying before age 75; the percent of people who report being in fair or poor health; the numbers of days people report being in poor physical and poor mental health; and the rate of low birth weight infants.
Green County ranked well in health behaviors (5), clinical care (23), social and economic factors (21), and the physical environment (17). Lafayette County ranked 57, 71, 16, and 16, respectively, in health behaviors.
Among the many health factors 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.
Ozaukee County has the healthiest residents in Wisconsin, while Menominee County is the least healthy county. Wisconsin's next four healthiest counties are St. Croix, Washington, Waukesha and Portage. The next four counties in the poorest health are Milwaukee, Marquette, Jackson and Adams.
Dr. Patrick Remington, associate dean for public health at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health said in the report that it shows that there are big differences in overall health across Wisconsin's counties.
The healthiest of Wisconsin's 72 counties are largely suburban counties near the city of Milwaukee and on the border with the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area; the least healthy counties are primarily located in rural areas of central and northern Wisconsin with the exception of Milwaukee County, the state's most urban county in the southeast.
"It's easier for people to lead a healthy lifestyle when they live in a healthy community - such as one that has expanded early childhood education, enacted smoke-free laws, increased access to healthier foods, or created more opportunities for physical activity," Remington said. "We hope this report can mobilize community leaders to learn what is making their residents unhealthy and take action to invest in programs and policy changes that improve health."