Each year, the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute releases its County Health Rankings. The rankings give a closer look at how the health of a county is influenced by habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, exercise, physician access, and other factors called Social Determinants of Health.
Cambria County now ranks 64 out of 67 counties for health outcomes (last year Cambria County was ranked 62) and Somerset County now ranks 39 out of 67 counties, improving from last year’s rank of 43.
Although Cambria County dropped in the rankings, it doesn’t necessarily mean the county has become less healthy. In fact, many of the numbers have moved in a positive direction.
Recreation opportunities in the county have grown immensely with more people understanding the positive impact exercise can have not only physically but also mentally. Physical inactivity dropped from 28% in 2022 to 24% in the 2023 rankings and access to exercise opportunities increased from 70% to 81%. Adult obesity also dropped from 35% in 2022 to 33% in 2023.
Cambria County also improved in:
- Poor or Fair Health
- Poor Physical Health Days
- Adult Smoking
- Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Preventable Hospital Stays
- Flu Vaccination
- Unemployment
In Somerset County, there have been improvements in a variety of areas. The most notable being adult obesity dropping from 39% to 35% and access to exercise opportunities jumping 5 percentage points to 65%.
Somerset County also improved in:
- Poor or Fair Health
- Poor Physical Health Days
- Adult Smoking
- Insufficient Sleep
- Flu Vaccination
- Unemployment
Both counties also saw slight improvements in other categories as well, like Broadband Access, Food Insecurity, and Preventable Hospital Stays.
Though improvements were made across both counties, it’s important to recognize that there is still work to be done to improve each county’s overall score as well as the individual data points. Cambria and Somerset counties are still in the bottom half of counties across the Commonwealth in health.
Both counties have slightly worse numbers from last year in:
- Excessive Drinking
- Diabetes Prevalence (Somerset)
- Primary Care Physician numbers
- Mammography Screening
- Children in Poverty
Many of the categories where Cambria and Somerset fall short are being addressed through local groups who have joined forces to address health. Both counties didn’t get into these positions over night, so change will take time. Mental/Behavioral Health, Access to Social Determinant of Health Needs/Healthcare, Obesity/Healthy Living, Substance Use, Socioeconomics/Job Training, Early Childhood, and Violence/Abuse/Safety have been deemed the top seven priority areas that will be addressed in the coming years.
To review the County Health Rankings visit:
Sources:
https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/