The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has released new health rankings that show economic and social factors can have an impact on health as well as vitals taken in the exam room. All 82 Mississippi counties are affected by health problems, including high levels of obesity, HIV prevalence, and high uninsured rates. However, some areas fare better than others. The annual report’s main message is that place matters. A person’s zip code can be a strong indicator of whether they are able to live a healthy lifestyle. The state’s 30 percent or less adult obesity rate is found in every county. Rankin is the most healthy county, followed by Madison and DeSoto. Lamar, Lamar, and Lafayette are the least healthy. Quitman and Jefferson are the five counties with the worst health. Holmes, Coahoma and Sharkey are the least healthy. Not surprisingly, African Americans experience poor health outcomes in the healthier counties. This indicates that not all races have equal health outcomes in other counties. Social and economic factors such as child poverty, food deserts, and median income are strong indicators of a county’s health outcomes. The relationship between these determinants and other health factors was examined by Mississippi Today. See scatter plots below (methodology for correlations at the bottom of the story). A family’s income has a strong correlation with their health outcomes. The lower their income, the poorer the health ranking. The rankings included housing factors this year. These include home ownership and severe burden of housing — which measures how many households spend more than half of their income on housing. Kate Konkle, an associate researcher at the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said that housing was a key health issue. She stated that if you spend more than half your income on housing in the area you live in, you don’t have much money for other necessities such as food, medicine, transportation, school supplies, and health care. It can lead to problems in other areas that we know are vital for our quality of life as well as for our health. Additionally, high housing costs are associated with housing instability and issues such as eviction or homelessness. Unequal housing burdens are a sign of racial disparities in health. In Mississippi, 14% of households spend more than half their income on housing. However, when broken down by race, African American households have a cost burden that is more than twice that of white families at 20% and nine percent, respectively. Konkle says that while the state’s overall cost burden is not as severe as in other states, the racial disparities can be a significant factor in health outcomes and affect the quality of life. Konkle said, “When you look deeper, it does start showing some significant differences.” Konkle also stated that renters who pay more than half of their income are often barred from owning a home. People with low incomes will find renting the most affordable option. However, it can lead to poverty and make it more costly over the long-term. Konkle pointed out the many solutions that the project provides for various health issues. She stated that the whole purpose of giving people data is to encourage them to take action with it. “We want them to take action.” The website’s “What Works for Health?” section offers a list of more than 400 strategies that are connected to each factor area. Methodology: The correlation coefficient is a measure of how closely two sets of data are related. Visually, the closer two series of data are connected, the more powerful and telling the correlation. A coefficient of 1 indicates a perfect positive relationship. A coefficient of 1 indicates a perfect positive relationship (i.e., data series X increase or decrease, and data series series Y do the same), while a coefficient of -1 indicates a perfect negative relation (X increases/decreases, and Y does both). Strong correlations are those with coefficients greater than 0.5 or below -0.5. The 2019 County Health Rankings provided a ranking of health outcomes for all 82 counties, except Issaquena. The rankings were distributed from 1 to 81 with 1 representing the best ranking and 81 representing the worst. To support this work, you can make a regular donation to the Spring Member Drive today. This will allow us to continue important work such as this one.