Mason County residents' health among worst in state

Matt Baide | Jan 27, 20220

Mason County’s health outcomes are ranked in the lower middle range of counties in the state and the health factors are ranked as one of the least healthy counties in the state, according to the 2021 community health assessment released by the board of health.

The life expectancy in Mason County is 79.7 years old, compared to the state’s 80.4 years. The county’s life expectancy rate increased by 4.3 years from 1994 to 2019.

The top cause of death in Mason County is cancer, which kills 167 people per 100,000, and lung cancer causes the most cancer deaths. Heart disease is the second highest cause of death at 136 per 100,000 people and unintentional injury is the third leading cause of death at 49 per 100,000 people.

Mason County has a higher prevalence of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol compared to state averages. Heart disease was the leading cause of hospitalizations, with 3,889 between 2016 and 2019.

According to the report, 80% of students in Mason County eat less than five servings of fruit and vegetables daily, which is less than the state average of selected unhealthy habits among students. A little more than 30% of students have more than three hours of screen time daily and about 75% of students in Mason County don’t meet the physical activity recommendations.

In a comparison of health behaviors, 23% of adults smoke in Mason County, which is higher than the state at 14%. Mason County has 41% adult obesity, well above the state at 28%. In 2017, Mason County had 22% of people get enough physical activity compared to the state at 16% and the county had less excessive drinking and alcohol-impaired driving deaths. Mason County had 30 teen births per rate of 1,000 women ages 15-19 compared to the state at 16 from 2013-2019.

Since 2012, 1 in 5 residents in Mason County smoke while youth smoking rates have decreased over the last decade, but youth vaping rates among 12th-graders increased 37% between 2012 and 2018. Drug overdose deaths have increased in Mason County during the last decade, with 25 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people.

Mason County’s access to health care is a challenge, with about 3,850 people per one primary-care physicians. There’s about 2,900 people per one dentist and about 490 people per one mental health provider.

There was some good news, as Mason County recorded its highest graduation rate in the last decade, with almost 80% of students graduating on time in four years.

The county strengths, according to the report, are adult crime rates are lower than the state’s rate for property crime and drug law violations, arrest rates for youth have decreased over the last decade, water and air quality continue to improve and binge drinking rates for both adults and youth have decreased.

The county weaknesses are chlamydia infection rates have almost doubled over the last decade, poverty rates are much higher than the state rates, adults have higher marijuana use rates compared to the state and nearly one-third of county residents are burdened by housing costs.

To view the full report, visit healthymasoncounty.com.