Study shows obesity, alcohol on rise in Sandusky County

FREMONT - Community health professionals in Sandusky County are concerned about the increase in adult and childhood obesity, increases in drug addiction, and binge drinking behaviors as the county released its 2016 Community Health Assessment.

Although there were increases in adverse health behaviors, data from the assessment revealed some positive trends including reductions in adult suicide rates and youth cigarette smoking.

The data were collected as part of a 2016 and 2017 health assessment, which the county will utilize to implement community strategies to combat the negative trends, according to Emily Golias, Community Health Improvement Coordinator for the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio.

Golias said 33 percent of the 1,200 adults responded to the survey, which included mail, house visits and phone interviews, while 95 percent of county youths ages 11-17 responded. Golias said the analysis has a 95 percent accuracy rate according to health data standards.

To collect better data, all surveys were anonymous.

Obesity is on the rise in the county, according to Community Health Services CEO Joe Liszak, with 42 percent of adults in Sandusky County reporting being obese.

The obesity rate for those earning $25,000 or less annually in the county was even higher, at 56 percent.

Children also are struggling with obesity, scoring well above the state and national average. In Sandusky County 23 percent of youths ages 6 to 17 had a Body Mass Index classified as obese. The Ohio average, last compiled in 2013, was 13 percent for obesity rates, while the 2015 national average was 14 percent.

Alcohol consumption in Sandusky County is on the rise, trending well above the state and national averages, according to Tim Wise, Fremont Director for Firelands Counseling and Recovery Services.

For adults surveyed in Sandusky County, 62 percent of those said they had at least one alcoholic drink in the past month, up from 51 percent during the county's 2013 assessment. The county's 62 percent rate was significantly higher than the state average of 53 percent, based on data collected in 2015, and the national average of 54 percent, collected in 2014.

Binge drinking statistics — in which a man has five drinks and a woman has four in a two-hour period — were nearly double the national average, with 29 percent of Sandusky County adults surveyed saying they binge drank, versus the national average of 16 percent.

"I think this is alarming. There is an unfortunate steady increase in binge drinking," Wise said. "I think we've got some work to do."

As part of the survey, children from birth to age 17 were assessed on various criteria including drug and tobacco use, sexual activity and social determinants that affect overall health.

Abby Slemmer, CEO of United Way of Sandusky County, said county youths were exposed to several Adverse Childhood Experiences, with the primary one being divorce.

Slemmer said 36 percent of the children surveyed experienced the separation of their parents, while 25 surveyed said their parents insult them.

Other adverse experience include living with someone who served time or will serve time in prison, 19 percent; lived with a problem drinker, 18 percent; and lived with someone who misuses prescription drugs, 17 percent.

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Slemmer said 25 percent of the youth experienced three different adverse experiences.

Poverty is a concern for the health of families in the county, Slemmer said.

"Poverty limits the access to healthy foods, safe neighborhoods and stable housing," she said.

Data collected from the health assessment echoed Slemmer's statement as 12 percent of all adults in the county need help meeting their daily needs for food, clothing, shelter or paying bills, with percentages rising to 37 percent for those with annual incomes less than $25,000.

Ten percent of adults said they had to choose between buying food or paying bills. Five percent surveyed said their food assistance had been cut, and 5 percent of adults said they did not eat because they did not have enough money for food.

A growing drug epidemic has led to an increase in the number of adults admitting to using a prescription that did not belong to them, or using prescription drugs to get high, with 10 percent in Sandusky County reporting that behavior compared to 7 percent in 2013, the last assessment performed in the county.

Among county adults, 2 percent surveyed said they used recreational drugs such as heroin, synthetic marijuana, bath salts or methamphetamine ,while 25 percent of drug-using adults said they used almost every day.

Contrary to data linking low income with less healthy lifestyles, more adults earning $25,000 or more a year said they misused medication compared to those earning $25,000 or less — 9 percent to 5 percent.

Adults considering or carrying out suicide attempts drastically decreased, down from 6 percent in 2013 to 1 percent in 2016, according to Wise.

"Adults going two or more weeks feeling sad or hopeless dropped from 15 percent in 2013 to 9 percent in 2016," Wise said.

The data show that the number of youths who attempt suicide in Sandusky County is 7 percent, slightly above the Ohio average of 6 percent, but below the national average of 9 percent.

In Sandusky County, female youths are more likely to make a plan to attempt suicide, at 17 percent compared to 9 percent for males, according to surveys.

A complete countywide health assessment will be made available through the Sandusky County Health Department's website, the Fremont City Schools website, the United Way of Sandusky County, Community Health Services, and WSOS Community Action.

cshoup@gannett.com

419-334-1035

Twitter: @CraigShoupNH