Kodiak 4th in Alaska Health

2015_health_outcomes_-_alaska_from_countyhealthrankings.org.png

Visualized health outcomes list from Alaska data. Via State of Alaska website

 

Kayla Desroches/KMXT

 

Kodiak Island ranked fourth in a recent survey of county health in Alaska. Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon ranked first, the West Aleutian islands second, and Juneau third.

Jayne Andreen works for the Alaska Division of Public Health overseeing community health improvement. She says that a philanthropic organization, the  Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, put together the report in partnership with the University of Wisconsin.

“What they want to do is offer counties the opportunity to look at where they’re doing well in terms of their health as well as the areas where there may be some need for improvement and offer that as a way for communities to move forward in improving the health of the community," says Andreen.

Andreen says that the study takes into consideration premature death, length of life, and quality of life.

“So it’s looking at what type of access we have to clinical care," says Andreen. "It takes a look at the socio and economic factors that impact our health. Our health behaviors. Those types of things that then lend themselves and contribute to the health outcomes.”

Andreen says the study also factors in people’s self-perception through a yearly telephone survey called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

“They ask people around the state a whole laundry list of questions" Andreen says. "And one of  those, they ask people to report how many days they have experienced poor or fair health. Poor physical health, poor mental health.”

Andreen says that the lowest ranking boroughs tend to be more in Western and Northwest Alaska. But she says that the reports are an opportunity for communities to look at the statistics and see where they can improve. You can read the strategies on the “Healthy Alaskans 2020” page of the State of Alaska website.

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