Henrico ranked 26th healthiest locality in Virginia
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Henrico ranks 26th among Virginia’s 133 localities in a new national report that analyzes the health of every locality in the nation according to a variety of factors and outcomes.
The County Health Rankings, published annually by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, rated every locality according to data about length and quality of life; health behaviors; clinical care; social and economic factors; and physical environment.
Henrico ranked especially high relative to other state localities in access to exercise opportunities (93%); low teen birth rate; the number of primary care physicians per capita (920); and percentage of residents with high school diplomas (92%) and some college (77%), among other categories.
On the negative side, Henrico’s incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (694 cases per 100,000 people) was above the statewide average of 564.3 – and up by about 100 in the past four years, to its highest level in at least 15 years.
The county also matched the state average for adult smokers (14%) and fell just below the state average of 32% for its adult obesity level (30%) – both negatives as identified by the report.
Falls Church and Arlington ranked first and second in the state in overall health levels, according to the report, while Petersburg ranked last.
Locally, Hanover County ranked 15th, Powhatan County 16th, Chesterfield County 27th, New Kent County 36th and Richmond 96th.
“The results of the study make it clear that health disparities and inequities occur, not only between regions of the Commonwealth, but also within localities, even the wealthy ones,” Virginia State Health Commissioner Colin M. Greene said in a statement. “While change in health-influencing factors takes time, the Virginia Department of Health is committed to supporting its local health departments and focusing on improving the health and well-being of all people in Virginia. We will be taking an analytical, evidence-based look at all of these factors, and incorporating them into the next state health improvement plan, Virginia’s Plan for Well-Being, with the intent of improving measurable health outcomes that truly matter to Virginians.”
Henrico ranked ahead of Chesterfield, its closest peer population-wise in the region, in five of the nine health behaviors metrics, and the two counties tied in two others. It also outranked Chesterfield in six of the seven clinical care categories, which means access to physicians, dentists and mental health providers, as well as flu vaccination and mammography screening levels, among other metrics.
Henrico, a more urban county than Chesterfield, ranked lower than its neighbor to the south in a number of social and economic factors. More children live in poverty in Henrico than Chesterfield (12% to 9%) and more live in single-parent households (28% to 24%).
Fourteen percent of Henrico residents experience “severe” housing problems, according to the reporter, while only 11% of Chesterfield residents do. The incidence of violent crime in Henrico (175 cases) also exceeded that of Chesterfield (136).
The report introduced six new measures this year; among them was childcare cost burden, something that can affect economic security for families. The national and Virginia averages are about 25%, while the burden in Henrico is 21%, according to the report.
