Research Highlights

The health and wellness indicators reveal issues which present challeges to the community.

The health and wellness indicators are health insurance coverage rate, non-emergency use of hospital emergency departments, percentage of high school students with unhealthy weight, and percentage of babies born with a healthy weight.  Good health outcomes improve the quality of life, enhance productivity, and contribute to the well-being of a community as a whole.

Chatham County's health insurance coverage rate is virtually the same as the state average for those ages 18 to 64.  The non-emergency use of hospital emergency departments decreased from 2009 to 2010 and is in a longer term upward trend since 2004.  In 2010, the percentage of high school students in Chatham County who have unhealthy weight is lower than for the state (2009 data). Within Chatham County, the prevalence of overweight adolescents was higher among females, African Americans and low income households. A lower proportion of babies were born with a healthy weight in Chatham County as compared to Georgia.  The incidence of healthy birthweight babies is in a longer term downward trend since 2000 for the state, while the county rate is at its highest (90.3%) since 2000.
 

• The health insurance coverage rate for those age 18 to 64 in Chatham County was 73.3% in 2010, a decrease from 2009. The state rate was 73.1%.

• In 2010, 89.6% of Chatham County residents under 18 had health coverage, which is lower than the state rate of 90.2%.

• In 2010, 77.6% of Chatham County residents under age 65 had health insurance coverage. The state rate was 78.1%.

• In 2010, the non-emergency use of emergency rooms was 58.9 visits per 1,000 population, down from 62.0 in 2009.

• The percentage of Chatham County high school students of unhealthy weight was 24.9% in 2010, as compared to 27.2% for the state in 2009.

• In 2009, healthy birthweight incidence in Chatham County was 90.3%, while in Georgia it was 90.5%.

• On average since 2000, the healthy birthweight incidence has been 1.4 percentage points lower in Chatham County than in the state.