Politics & Government
Solano County Ranks Low on Healthy Counties Report
According to a recent report on the health of the state's counties, Solano County ranks 33 out of 56 counties.
Solano County has some room for improvement when it comes to the health of its citizens. A new report published by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on the state of health nationwide -- County Health Rankings & Roadmaps -- shows that Solano ranks 33 out of 56 counties when it comes to health.
Last year Solano ranked 31 in overall health in the same report, slipping to 33rd place this year.
The report is broken down into several categories, each with a handful of subcategories. Solano County is ranked highest in the "Social and Economic Factors" category, where we rank 25th in the state. This category covers the high school graduation rate, the violent crime rate, unemployment, children in poverty and other factors.
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The county's lowest-rated categories are "Morbidity" and "Physical Environment," for which it is ranks 40th in the state. The subcategories in morbidity include poor or fair health, poor physical health days, poor mental health days and low birthweight; Physical environment includes the subcategories of air pollution, access to recreational facilities, number of fast food restaurants, and more.
See the complete breakdown of the health of Solano County compared the state average and national benchmark below. The national benchmark is the desired national rate for each category. Less than 10 percent of counties nationwide meet the national benchmark.
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Explanations for unclear categories can be found below the chart.
County Error
Margin National
Benchmark* California Rank
(of 56) Health Outcomes 33 Mortality 29 Premature death 6,845 6,569-7,120 5,466 5,922 Morbidity 40 Poor or fair health 16% 13-21% 10% 19% Poor physical health days 4.0 3.1-4.9 2.6 3.7 Poor mental health days 3.5 2.7-4.3 2.3 3.6 Low birthweight 7.1% 6.8-7.3% 6.0% 6.7% Health Factors 30 Health Behaviors 37 Adult smoking 14% 11-18% 14% 14% Adult obesity 27% 24-31% 25% 24% Physical inactivity 21% 18-25% 21% 18% Excessive drinking 19% 15-24% 8% 17% Motor vehicle crash death rate 13 12-15 12 12 Sexually transmitted infections 484 84 399 Teen birth rate 33 32-34 22 40 Clinical Care 34 Uninsured 15% 13-16% 11% 20% Primary care physicians 943:1 631:1 847:1 Preventable hospital stays 44 42-47 49 52 Diabetic screening 71% 67-75% 89% 79% Mammography screening 49% 45-53% 74% 63% Social & Economic Factors 25 High school graduation 70% 74% Some college 61% 59-62% 68% 60% Unemployment 12.0% 5.4% 12.4% Children in poverty 18% 15-21% 13% 22% Inadequate social support 24% 20-29% 14% 25% Children in single-parent households 31% 29-33% 20% 30% Violent crime rate 563 73 500 Physical Environment 40 Air pollution-particulate matter days 24 0 16 Air pollution-ozone days 9 0 51 Access to recreational facilities 9 16 9 Limited access to healthy foods 6% 0% 5% Fast food restaurants 55% 25% 49%
* 90th percentile, i.e., only 10% are better
Note: Blank values reflect unreliable or missing data
Category Explanations:
- Premature Death: Years of potential life lost before age 75 per 100,000 population
- Poor Physical/Mental Health Days: Average per 30 days
- Physical Inactivity: Percent of adults reporting no physical activity
- Motor Vehicle Crash Death Rate: Deaths per 100,000 population
- Sexually Transmitted Infections: Chlamydia rate per 100,000 population
- Teen Birth Rate: Per 1,000 teen girls
- Violent Crime Rate: Per 100,000 population
- Air Pollution Days: Annual number of unhealthy air days
- Access to Recreational Facilities: Facilities per 100,000 people
- Limited Access to Healthy Foods: Population percent who are low income and do not live near a grocery store
Need explanations on other categories? Ask in the comments.
What do you make of the county health rankings? Depressed by our violent crime and bevy of fast food restaurants? Tell us in the comments!
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