The Health of Marshall County Part One
By: TRACY HARRIS
tharris@themarshallcountypost.com
This article is part of a series that breaks down the health of Marshall County residents using the newest report from County Health Rankings National Finding Report.
Marshall County ranked 26th out of all Tennessee counties in 2023, a drastic improvement from just a decade ago. Using Health Outcomes, Health Factors, and County Demographics, a yearly report is released by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The purpose of the program is to provide data, evidence, guidance, and examples to help raise awareness of factors that influence health. The 2023 County Health Rankings National Finding Report focused on the connection between civic health and thriving people and places.
Health Outcomes show how long people live on average in a community, and how much physical and mental health they experience. We ranked in the higher middle range of counties in the state (higher 50%-75%). Health Factors represent the things we can improve to help us live longer and healthier lives. Many things influence how well and how long we live. They are also considered indicators of our community’s future health. We ranked in the higher middle range of the state’s counties (higher 50%-75%).
These numbers are a big improvement from just 12 years ago. In 2011, Marshall County ranked 61st in the state – meaning only 34 counties were “less healthy.” Our Health Outcomes were in the lower middle range statewide (lower 25%-50%), and our Health Factors were ranked among the least healthy counties in Tennessee (lowest 0%-25%).
County Demographics are also used when determining outcomes because the health of a community depends on their past and current policies and practices. Marshall County is considered a Micropolitan, a place that intersects an urban core of at least 10,000 but less than 50,000. More than half of Marshall County residents (a little over 65%) live in a low population density area-one with 500 or less people per square mile and less than 2,500 people.
Health Outcomes
Health Outcomes contains three categories: Length of Life, Quality of Life, and Additional Health Outcomes that are not included in the county’s overall ranking.
Length of Life shows that the leading cause of death for people under 75 in Marshall County is malignant neoplasms, or cancerous tumors – 162. Second was diseases of the heart – 139. The third leading cause of death was accidents – 59.
Quality of Life represents the well-being of a community. It showcases just how important one’s physical, mental, social and emotional health are from birth to adulthood. The data measures how people perceive their health and tells whether or not they feel healthy and satisfied. It’s important to look at the perceived physical and mental health of a community to help identify patterns over time.
Quality of Life data includes: birth outcomes showing rates of babies born at low birth weight and self-reported physical and mental wellness.
Fair or Poor Health Quality category showed that 17% of adults here reported they consider themselves to be in Fair or Poor Health. That number is 5% higher than the national average.
Poor Physical Health Days: adults in Marshall County reported their physical health was not good on 3.8 days over the last month, a number consistent with state and national averages.
Poor Mental Health Days: Marshall County adults reported that on 5.4 days of the previous 30 days, their mental health was not good – an entire percentage point above the national average.
It is important to note that data from 2020 only was used for Poor or Fair Health, Poor Physical Health Days, and Poor Mental Health Days. The report does not elaborate on why only one year was used as a measurement. Where we were as a county, a state, and a nation was drastically different. It is likely to have impacted the scores.
Low Birthweight is the final set of data under Quality Of Life. A baby is considered low birthweight if they are born under 5 pounds and 8 ounces. Marshall County fell in at 9%- one percentage point above the national average. The years used to figure Low Birthweight ranged from 2014-2020.
Next week, the Additional Health Outcomes that were not used to calculate the overall rankings will be published. These contain valuable information like frequent mental distress, diabetes prevalence, child mortality, and frequent physical distress.
