Kane is 9th healthiest county

Kane is the state’s ninth healthiest county according to a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, one of the nation’s largest philanthropic organizations focused on public health.

The results place emphasis on social and economic factors, and show a number of areas where the county can improve. The county moved up two places from a year ago.

The county board’s Public Health Committee is expected to discuss the report next month. The board slashed the health department staff in half at the end of 2010, which might impact the county’s ranking in 2012.

For now, the news is positive, Public Health Department Executive Director Paul Kuehnert said.

“We are happy that we’re moving in the right direction,” Kuehnert said in a written statement. “We can see with this study that where we live, learn, work and play influences how healthy we are and how long we live.”

The county’s ranking relates to its overall health regardless of what is influencing the health of its residents. In terms of factors influencing health, the county ranked No. 41 out of 102 counties.

A closer look shows Kane County ranks 6th for length of life but 30th in the number of days residents reported poor health (mentally or physically), and the percent of babies born with low birth weight. The county ranked No. 50 in terms of the amount of risky sex behaviors, smoking and alcohol use, and how much exercise and healthy food residents engage in or consume. Smoking and adult obesity in the county exceed national benchmarks. The teen birthrate is more than double the national benchmark.

“Smoking and obesity tie directly into chronic disease, while a high teen birthrate will tie into infant mortality disparities,” Kuehnert said. “We must continue to work as a community to attend to these health factors and make progress in order to move toward having the healthiest residents in Illinois.”

Kane County ranked 70th in health care and the quality of health care received. The county is 37th best in the levels of education, employment, income, community safety and family and social support each resident has. The quality of the physical and natural environment ranks 39th.

Kendall, DuPage, McHenry and Lake counties ranked ahead of Kane County in the overall results.