Tarrant County is the 24th-healthiest county overall in Texas but ranks worse than the state average in several specific areas that affect health, including air pollution and sexually transmitted infections, according to a new report.
The county has double the state average for unhealthy-air-quality days, and almost one-third of children live in single-parent households, the study found.
Still, Tarrant has risen in the rankings for health outcomes from 37th in 2010 and 32nd in 2011, according to the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The rankings released today offer snapshots of the overall health in communities, officials say. The report studied 221 of Texas' 254 counties.
"These snapshots look at how long people are living and how well they are living," said Julie Willems Van Dijk, associate scientist at the population health institute. "Certainly Tarrant County is doing fairly well, ranking 24th out of 221 counties for health outcomes."
Tarrant County Public Health Director Lou Brewer said that while the county has improved in the rankings, "there is always more work that can be done to improve the health of Tarrant County residents."
Van Dijk noted that Tarrant ranked 64th in health factors and lower in social, economic and physical environment factors, she said.
"To me, that is a bit of a wake-up call to say that [Tarrant] is lagging a little bit in things that will drive tomorrow's health outcomes," Van Dijk said.
The report ranks the health of most U.S. counties using the rate of people dying before age 75, the percentage of people who report being in fair or poor health, the number of days people report being in poor physical or mental health, and the rate of low-birth-weight infants.
It also considered other health factors ranging from health behavior -- excessive drinking, inactivity, smoking -- to access to recreational facilities.
Dallas County ranked 51st in health outcomes; Parker County, 32nd; and Denton County, fifth.
Smoking, obesity rates
Van Dijk cautioned that a county's rise or fall is attributed to activities not only in that county, but also health factors in other counties, she said.
Researchers flagged the adult smoking and obesity rates, as well as children living in poverty, because those factors can have a strong impact on premature deaths or poor health outcomes, Van Dijk said.
In Tarrant County, 28 percent of adults are obese and 18 percent smoke, both 1 percentage point below state rates, according to the report. Its chlamydia rate and percentage of fast food restaurants were above the state rate.
Brewer said that Tarrant has improved its mortality indicator and morbidity rankings since 2010. Of the five most populous counties in Texas, Tarrant had the second-best rankings for health outcomes and health factors, he said.
Tarrant ranked the poorest in physical environment factors, coming in 217th of 221 counties. Brewer noted that four of the five most-populous counties were also at the bottom in that category.
Tarrant County Public Health recently launched Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships, a community-driven process to prioritize public-health issues and identify resources to address them, Brewer said.
The process will result in a community health improvement plan, he said.
Denton ranks high
In Texas, the healthiest county was Collin County, followed by Williamson, Rockwall, Denton and Gillespie, the report found. The five least-healthy counties were Marion, Polk, Brooks, Red River, Trinity and Orange.
For example, Marion County, in East Texas, has three times as many premature deaths as Collin County, researchers said.
"The county health rankings show us that much of what influences our health happens outside of the doctor's office," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Wood Johnson Foundation. "In fact, where we live, learn, work and play has a big role in determining how healthy we are and how long we live."
Where does Tarrant County rank in the state?
(Out of 221 counties studied)
Health outcomes: 24
Mortality: 29
Clinical care: 38
Health factors: 64
Social and economic factors: 104
Physical environment: 217
Tarrant and the state compared
Adult smokers
Tarrant County: 18%
Texas: 19%
Obese adults
Tarrant County: 28%
Texas: 29%
Sexually transmitted disease
(Chlamydia infections per 100,000 people)
Tarrant County: 448
Texas: 435
Uninsured
Tarrant County: 25%
Texas: 26%
Children in poverty
Tarrant County: 21%
Texas: 26%
Children in single-parent households
Tarrant County: 31%
Texas: 32%
Air pollution
(Days with high levels of ozone)
Tarrant County: 39
Texas: 18
Violent crime
(Violent crimes per 100,000 people)
Tarrant County: 501
Texas: 503
Visit the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps Web site to view the rankings.
TCPH investigates TB case at TCC-SE (2) - March 23, 2012
Tarrant County Public Health is handling a tuberculosis (TB) contact investigation at Tarrant Count College Southeast Campus. Approximately 200 students and faculty will be offered TB skin tests on April 3. Prior to that, TCPH staff will be on the campus March 27 to speak with the students and faculty and answer any questions.
Investigation process
The student under investigation is a Dallas County resident and was referred to Tarrant County Public Health by the Dallas County Health and Human Services TB Program. The contact investigation process is methodical, follows standard protocol and is being coordinated between the two departments. Students and faculty of the classes shared by the student under investigation are being notified of the situation. Testing will involve those who were in contact with the former student. TCPH staff will return April 5 to read the test results and will return to TCC-SE two weeks later to test anyone who missed the initial testing. There are no known active cases on campus at this time.
About TB
Tuberculosis, (TB) is a disease caused by germs spread when a person with active TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks or sings. These germs can stay in the air for several hours, depending on the environment. People who breathe in these TB germs can become infected. This is called latent TB infection. TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine. A person with TB can die if they do not get treatment.
Symptoms and Treatment:
People with active TB infection usually have symptoms of TB disease and are sick because TB germs are multiplying and destroying tissue in their body. People with TB disease of the lungs or throat are capable of spreading germs to others. General symptoms include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. The symptoms of TB disease of the lungs also include coughing, chest pain and coughing up blood. Symptoms of TB disease in other parts of the body depend on the area affected. They are prescribed drugs that can treat TB disease. Most of the time, these drugs are effective.
People with latent TB infection have TB germs in their bodies, but are not sick because the germs are not active. These people do not have symptoms of TB disease and cannot spread the germs to others. However, they may develop TB disease in the future. They are often prescribed treatment to prevent them from developing TB disease at some point in the future.
There is no vaccine currently available in the United States to prevent TB exposure or infection.
TB cases in Tarrant County, (approximately 75 in 2011) have been trending downward for several years due to Tarrant County Public Health’s focused prevention efforts and rigorous treatment regimens.
For more information, call 817-321-4900 or visit the Tarrant County Public Health, TB Elimination Program web page.
