Reports have come in assessing the state of health among Georgians. The America’s Health Rankings Annual Report is released every year to offer a comprehensive view of the country’s health, on both a national and a state level. The 2021 report marks this as the 32nd year.
The report is the result of a partnership between the American Public Health Association and the United Health Foundation, a non-profit operated by the UnitedHealth Group insurance company. Data for the report is collected by a scientific advisory committee epidemiologists, scientists, physicians and public health leaders, who examine national and state trends in health and medical care. The findings are then published by the United Health Foundation.
“We look at things like race and ethnicity, geography, not only in the state but metropolitan versus non-metropolitan areas,” said Dr. Rhonda Randall, executive vice president and chief medical officer of UnitedHealthcare Employer and Individual, part of UnitedHealth Group. “We look at age, income levels and also, importantly, levels of education that have a significant bearing on our health.”
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According to the 2021 AHR Annual Report, findings for Georgia show a high prevalence of non-medical drug use and insufficient sleep, as well as a high percentage of adults who avoided healthcare due to cost. The report shows that about 15 % of Georgia adults did not seek healthcare, as opposed to the national average of about 12 %; that about 16 % use drugs, versus about 12 % in the nation; and 35 % are not getting enough sleep, while the national average is about 32 %.
Randall also notes a significant rise in drug use between 2019 and 2020.
“There’s an increase this year in the use of cannabis from 16.3% of adults to 23.2% of adults,” said Randall. “This is self-reported data that comes from the RADAR System Survey of Non-Medical Prescription Drugs Program.”
The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program, a collaboration between University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, releases a similar annual report that breaks its findings down by counties. According to its 2021 report for Georgia, Columbia County ranks as one of the healthiest counties in the state while Richmond County ranks among the least healthy counties.
The County Health Rankings report shows 25 % of Richmond County residents are in “poor or fair health,” while that designation shows only about 15 % in Columbia County. The report also shows that Richmond has a greater percentage of its population who gets insufficient sleep than those in Columbia County, and a higher percentage of drug overdose deaths.
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Randall does note that the 2021 AHR Report shows some trends going in a more positive direction, with vaccinations, such as for the flu, increasing in Georgia by 14 %, and a decrease in excessive drinking. The findings did not include COVID-19 vaccinations, as the vaccines for it were approved too late to include among the data for the year.
Randall says that these reports are released not only for use by state and local health departments, but for individuals to be mindful of their own health and that of their communities, emphasizing immunization and preventative care.
“We always want it to be a call to action,” she said. “Get your flu shot. It’s great to see that there was an increase in Georgia, but Georgia still lags behind the U.S., and the US still lags behind. The other the other thing that I would say is prevention: having the annual visit with your doctor around immunizations and cancer screening. Some of the other things that we’ve seen here;. Georgians are not getting enough sleep. These are so very important to our health.”
The 2021 America’s Health Rankings Annual Report is available at https://www.americashealthrankings.org/learn/reports/2021-annual-report. The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps rankings and reports can be found at https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering Columbia County with The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
