LAURINBURG — Overall Scotland County’s health rate remained unchanged in 2017, but some factors that make up the total number have changed in the last year.
The county ranks second to last in health outcomes for the third straight year, according to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2018 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps study.
The New Jersey based foundation is a non-profit dedicated to health and has scored Scotland County’s overall health at 99 out of North Carolina’s 100 counties for overall health statistics.
This is the foundation’s eighth study. Information for the report was gathered by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The study measures the health of county populations in all 50 states based on over 30 factors such as obesity, tobacco use, access to food, physical inactivity and access to clinical care.
Director of Scotland Community Health Clinic, Andrew Krutzman is frustrated by the ranking.
“It’s ridiculous that we should not have moved a bit,” he said.
The number of people in the county reporting fair or poor health was 28 percent for 2017 more than double the healthiest counties in the country. The nation’s top performing counties show a rate of 12 percent.
The number of uninsured residents is currently 15 percent. According to Kurtzman that number translates well over 5,000 uninsured out of the county’s approximately 35,000 residents.
Scotland County also shows 39 percent of children under 18 living in poverty.
Poverty status is judged by family size and income. If a family’s total income is at 100 percent or lower than the poverty threshold for a typical household of the same size, they are deemed in poverty according to April Sneed, director of Scotland County Department of Social Services.
A family of four earning $25,100 a year would be at 100 percent of the poverty level.
Kurtzman knows that the numbers affecting the county’s health are due in part to a number of factors like poverty, lack of insurance and a lack of access to proper nutrition.
“You look at the rate of uninsured. A lot of people are on a fixed income or are low income and a number of people are on food stamps; they purchase the most they can for the amount they get, and I’m sure not all of that is healthy” Kurtzman said.
Scotland County’s food environmental index is at 5.4 just under the state average of 6.4. The index measures access to healthy foods and estimates the percentage of a population “who are low income and do not live close to a grocery store.” For a rural area the index is measured at those living less than 10 miles away from a grocery store.
Kurtzman says that despite other factors there are some things people can do to help themselves become healthier.
“People have to want to improve. They have to want to change. Even if a provider shows them the ropes and tells them exactly what they need to do; they have to take the step forward. Even if it’s a small step,” he said.
Some of the components used to measure the county’s rates are in areas that can be controlled by a patient such as weight and smoking.
The obesity rate for Scotland was 35 percent a slight improvement over last year’s 36 percent meaning a person has a body-mass index of 30 or more. The state average for obesity is 30 percent.
“The health field is asking for people to do their part,” Kurtzman said. “They talk about the magic bullet being exercise. There are a lot of opportunities for people to exercise. Find 15 minutes; no, find five minutes. Give it five minutes to see if you can do something to improve your health depending on what type of activity your doctor recommends.”
Kurtzman also recommends portion control as part of a plan to improve health.
The county ranked at 77 percent for access to exercise opportunities. The measure gauges the percentage of residents who live within three miles of a location that allows for physical activity such as parks or recreational facilities. Scotland County has at least seven parks several of which offer playground equipment and walking tracks as well as recreation centers in Laurel Hill and Wagram. St. Andrews University’s walking track is open to the public as well.
Kathy Cox, public health educator for the Scotland County Health Department hopes the county can use the information in the study to continue to improve health outcomes.
“We need to expand programs to address these health disparities. All concerned the hospital, health clinics, health department and parks and recreation need to look at ways to improve health equity and try to implement supplemental education where everyone can get the information they need to make better choices,” she said.
Counties near Scotland did not fare much better Robeson ranked 100 while Richmond was 91 and Columbus came in at 96. Of the surrounding counties Hoke and Cumberland performed better with Hoke at 49 and Cumberland at 75.
Wake County was ranked the healthiest county in the state.
