Let’s try this again.
In Wednesday’s Dispatch, we listed the rankings of the healthiest counties in Minnesota based on a new report released Tuesday by the Minnesota Department of Health. The information released to us early Tuesday was “embargoed,” or not to be published or broadcast until after 11:01 p.m. Tuesday. What we didn’t know is that the rankings listed on the website, www.countyhealthrankings.org, Tuesday weren’t going to be updated either until 11:01 p.m. Tuesday. So Wednesday’s story contained data from 2010, not 2011.
We apologize for the error — and the fact that Crow Wing County residents have grown even more unhealthy since our story Tuesday.
Crow Wing County dropped toward the bottom of the rankings of Minnesota’s healthiest counties, as did a few other lakes area counties listed on a report released Tuesday by the Minnesota Department of Health.
The state Department of Health released the 2011 county health rankings, a report prepared by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The report ranked 85 of Minnesota’s counties into two categories: health outcomes and health factors. Two counties, Cook and Traverse, were not ranked.
Health outcomes include premature deaths, or those dying before age 75; the percentage of people reported being in fair or poor health; and the rate of low-birth weight infants. Health factors include health behavior, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment.
Crow Wing County dropped from 53rd to 67th from 2010 to 2011 in the health outcomes ranking and from 60th to 70th in health factors during those same years out of 85 counties.
Cass County dropped from 81st in 2010 to dead last at 85th in health outcomes in 2011 but rose slightly in health factors from 84th in 2010 to 83rd in 2011.
Aitkin County remained the same at 25th in 2010 and 2011 in health outcomes and dropped slightly in health factors from 76th to 77th in 2011.
Mille Lacs County dropped in health outcomes from 57th to 65th and rose from 81st to 79th in health factors in 2011.
Todd County dropped in health outcomes from 66th to 76th in health outcomes and rose in health factors from 80th to 73rd in 2011.
Wadena County dropped in health outcomes from 82nd to 84th and dropped further from 36th to 52nd place in health factors in 2011.
Morrison County remained the same rank at 80th in health outcomes and dropped from 68th to 78th in health factors in 2011.
The top five healthiest counties in the state in health outcomes in 2011, listed in order, are: Lac qui Parle, McLeod, Steele, Brown and Carver. The top five counties with the best health factors in 2011, listed in order, are: Olmsted, Carver, Washington, Nicollet and Hennepin.
Crow Wing County’s premature deaths were listed as 5,723, higher than the statewide average of 5,272. The county’s morbidity, or the incidence of disease or poor health, is ranked 82nd out of 85 counties.
The county also ranks higher than the statewide average in terms of health behaviors, including adult obesity, excessive drinking, motor vehicle crash death rate, and teen birth rate.
The county’s adult obesity rate is 28 percent, a 1 percent increase from 2010 and the same as the statewide average in 2011. The county’s excessive drinking rate is 21 percent, as compared to the state average of 20 percent. The motor vehicle crash death rate is 20, compared to the state average of 13. Teen birth rate is 35, as compared to the state average of 28.
Crow Wing County’s high school graduation rate was 90 percent, higher than the 87 percent statewide average but fewer residents have college experience, 68 percent compared to the state average of 72 percent. Children living in poverty in the county is 15 percent, compared to the state average of 11 percent.
The county has a 62 percent rate of access to healthy foods, higher than the state average of 54 percent. In 2010 the county’s access to healthy foods was listed as 53 percent.
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.
Comments (15)
Add commenti would like to know this....
since crow wing county is towards the bottom, how come every single restaurant on 371 is PACKED 7 days a week. Man, unemployment and welfare must be really good for those that receive it. If we have it so bad, how come I have to wait in line for a spot at Applebees, El Tequila, Grizzly's and Pochos to get food on a Friday.
Man, what a difference to every other highly BROKE area of the world I have been to in the last 2 years. We are so hurting here.
Oh whats that, its the cities people? Even in January on a -20 degree weekend?
Ok you got me there.
Much better!
"The report ranked 85 of Minnesota's counties......" reads a lot better than "Minnesota's 85 counties........"
Thanks.
That took courage
Much better. Not so easy to redo whole article and admit error in public, and now we see the error was not even your fault. Thank you. Meanwhile I began to wonder if having the highest unemployment rate in the state for 3 years running (is that right?), and a decreasing health rate till we're in the bottom quadrant, have any relation?
You have some readers who cut through in the most delightful way and not unkindly; I just plod along wondering what's amiss; so I look forward to the levity for some balance. Meanwhile, hats off for a brave front-page correction, not buried somewhere like most papers.
The county has a 62 percent rate of access to healthy foods
There you have it. It's all those danged peas and carrots.
Jodie, if someone from the cities comes up for vacation and dies of a heart attack while on the beach, are they counted as a CWC casualty or is that applied to their county of origin?
health
Eat more beans and veggies!! Eat Healthy Be Healthy! Feel Good, Work Harder, Be more Productive=more jobs.
Beans, lentils, grains are dirt cheap even somebody on food stamps can afford to eat healthy!
Healthy food is cheaper.
Healthy food is cheaper.
Prepared food and snacks are more expensive and less healthy than buying basics and cooking your own.
A package of dried beans or peas is less than $1.50 and makes about 4 good sized serving. Add an onion and some carrots and it goes up to about $2.00 and makes 5 servings.
How does that compare with a fat burger and fries?
Uh oh!
My universe must be upside down. Twice in one week that I agree with fish!
loaded
Want to see something scarey? Read nutrition labels on packaged foods. Outside of calories, the sodium, cholesterol, and carbohydrates are high enough to make you want to eat healthier.
WOW! Twice in one week I've
WOW! Twice in one week I've agreed with the Fishster.
Nothing wrong with getting fat on McDonalds stock, though. It's up over 36% in the past 3 years, and pays about a 3.5%dividend on top of that. GO MCD! (and big oil)
Wolf
If McDonald's stock is up, it's because of our friends in Cook county (Chicago). I think that's where Michelle Obama's is from.
Correction
"that's where Michelle Obama is from."
Tripwire3 regrets the error.
Ecocafemx
"Eat more beans and veggies!!"
With a picture of a big cow?
What cow?
What cow?
What cow?
Sorry. It's an angus bull. What're you looking at?
Worthless Survey
Take a look at the survey site and see how they supposedly "measure" items and it is clear the data they use is not very reliable (they admit to it in each section).
On the Health Outcomes, they look at 2 measures each weighted at 50%:
1. Mortality - Premature deaths before age 75
2. Morbidity - Individuals with Health Issues
I am guessing that if you overlaid the % of population in each county over the age of 50 (which Crow Wing County has a high percentage), you would see a direct correlation between Health Outcomes and Population Age.
I am not saying Crow Wing is the utopia for healthy individuals (just attend a day at the CWC Fair to verify this), but I also think health surveys that do not factor in age demographics for particular areas are a disservice.
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