Healthy counties? Kendall, DuPage yes; Cook no

Startling differences in the health of residents living just a few miles apart are highlighted in a new health rankings report that assesses wellness in nearly all the nation's 3,000-plus counties.

A typical example is in Illinois, where the healthiest of its 102 counties, Kendall, is right next door to the one ranked 65th, LaSalle. Twice as many LaSalle County residents are in poor or fair health and smoking rates are double the national average.

DuPage County was right under Kendall. Lake and McHenry counties ranked well. Cook County was low on the list, but Chicago and the suburbs were not separated.

Suburban versus rural and proximity to big cities and high-paying jobs partly explain the disparities. Kendall County is on the edge of Chicago's metropolitan area, while LaSalle County is more farm-based.

“Affluent suburbs tend to have higher-paying jobs, often in the cities, whereas rural communities often are dealing with loss of businesses” and declining populations of young people, who tend to be healthier, said Dr. Patrick Remington, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute. The institute produced the rankings with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and their second annual rankings report was being released online today.

In this survey, counties received two summary rankings: health outcomes and health factors. Health outcomes represent how healthy a county is, while health factors are what influences the health of the county.

The health outcomes rankings are based equally on length of life and quality of life. Health factors rankings take into consideration how healthy behavior is, how available health care is, social factors like salary and education, and environment.

Among counties in this area, Kendall ranked first in health outcomes and second in health factors among the state's 102 counties. DuPage was right next to Kendall, with a second place in outcomes and a first in factors. Other counties were Cook (81st in outcomes and 59th in factors), Lake (10th, 3rd), McHenry (5th, 7th), Kane (11th, 19th) and Will (17th, 10th).

Far downstate, Hardin and Alexander counties ranked last of the 102 counties in outcomes and factors, respectively.

Residents of rural communities also tend to have less education, less access to health care, and higher rates of substance abuse and smoking — all factors that contribute to the rankings.

Still, counties encompassing big cities aren't immune. Wyandotte County, Kansas, learned that when the researchers released their widely publicized first county health rankings report last year.

The county includes Kansas City and boasts two major medical centers, which officials figured would mean a top ranking. But Joe Reardon, mayor and CEO of Kansas City and county government, said the county's listing — 96th out of 98 in Kansas — was a wake-up call. It prompted several meetings with county authorities, local institutions and citizens, resulting in plans for more urban grocery stores and public works projects that aim to make sidewalks and roadways safer and more usable for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The rankings compare counties within each state. They're based on data from vital statistics and government health surveys. In many cases, several years of data are used to calculate rankings, Remington said. For that reason, many rankings this year are similar to those from the 2010 report.

Premature deaths, or people dying before age 75 of preventable diseases; self-reported health status; and the percent of low birth-weight babies contribute to the rankings. Other measures include obesity rates, unemployment, high school graduation rates and pollution.

Richard Sewell, a health policy specialist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, praised the report for including a wide array of important measures that affect health.

“It's a call to action” that leaders beyond the medical realm pay attention to, Sewell said.

James Marks, director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's health group, said last year's report resulted in an impressive amount of action in many counties that fared poorly. With annual rankings planned in the future, he said the reports likely will spur real improvement in Americans' health.

The report being released Wednesday can be found at www.countyhealthrankings.org