The Healthy Lucas County coalition of community health improvement organizations released the 2022/2023 Lucas County Community Health Assessment, supplying a snapshot of how Lucas County children, youth, and adults are faring with their health and well-being. The county-wide assessment provides data on general physical health, mental health, nutrition, exercise, substance abuse, living conditions, and a variety of other health-related topics from anonymous surveys conducted between November 2022 and July 2023.
The 2022/2023 Lucas County Community Health Assessment, for example, shows that obesity continues to rise among Lucas County adults. In 2023, 43% of Lucas County adults were obese, a condition linked to many chronic diseases and conditions that is up from 38% in 2020. Additionally, 32% of Lucas County adults were overweight in 2023, down from 34% in 2020.
“Our coalition conducts a health assessment every three years so our member organizations and partners can identify the health-related needs and concerns of Lucas County residents of all ages,” said Erika D. White, Chair of the Healthy Lucas County Executive Committee, which governs the coalition. “If we want to improve our community’s health, we have to routinely assess what our biggest challenges are.”
Community Health Improvement
Healthy Lucas County Executive Committee members and other organizations use assessment findings to determine where to direct efforts to improve the health of Lucas County residents. For example, data from prior surveys have helped coalition members receive millions of dollars in grant funding. This funding has helped women have healthy babies, students get afterschool snacks and meals, adults manage diabetes and heart disease, and numerous other projects.
Findings from the 2022/2023 Lucas County Community Health Assessment will also be used by the Healthy Lucas County Executive Committee and its partners to help develop the 2024-2027 Lucas County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) next year. The plan will identify priorities to improve the health of Lucas County residents, outline ways to address disparities in the community, provide action steps to achieve changes that will benefit everyone, and incorporate measurements to determine whether progress is being made.
“Data from the health assessment will help guide us as we work together to develop the 2024-2027 Lucas County Community Health Improvement Plan,” said Beth Deakins, Vice Chair of the Healthy Lucas County Executive Committee and Chair of the CHIP Task Force. “This data will help us prioritize needs and address health disparities among Lucas County residents.”
Assessment Data
Findings from the 2022/2023 Lucas County Community Health Assessment include:
- Mental Health and Addiction: 11% of Lucas County youth in 6th-12th grades seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, and 8% did attempt suicide. Among adults, 4% seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.
- Reactions to Race: 30% of African American and 19% of Latino adults experienced a headache, upset stomach, or other physical symptom because of how they were treated based on their race in the past month.
- Chronic Disease: 14% of Lucas County adults were diagnosed with diabetes, and 38% of Lucas County adults were diagnosed with high blood pressure.
- Maternal and Infant Health: 80% of Lucas County parents of children up to 5 years old put their youngsters to sleep in a crib or bassinette without a bumper, blankets, or stuffed animals, and 80% put infants to sleep on their backs. These safe infant sleep practices are among the best ways to prevent children dying before reaching their first birthdays, known as infant mortality.
