By Richard Craver
Winston-Salem Journal
The average baby born today in Forsyth County is projected to live to be 78.1 years old, according to a health care report card timed for release today by advocacy group NC Child.
That represents the lowest life expectancy of the state’s five largest urban counties, though just three years below the highest rate of 81.4 years for a baby born in Wake County.
The study did not distinguish between male and female babies. The study is available atwww.ncchild.org.
“Across indicators, we see that a distance of fewer than 100 miles can mean the difference between positive or negative outcomes in children’s lives, a fact that simply cannot be explained by random chance or genetic predisposition,” said Laila Bell, the group’s director of research and data.
Bell said she compiled data on social, economic and health outcomes as a supplement to the N.C. Child Health Report Card.
The study focuses on health and environmental issues on the growing-up years for individuals, and does not take into account moving from one county to another, or health issues faced as adults.
“This life expectancy estimate is at birth, so it’s the average number of years a baby born in ‘X’ county could expect to live if current mortality trends remain constant throughout their lifetime,” Bell said. “These geographic disparities are a stark reminder of the profound impact the environments where our children live, play and go to school have on their long-term health opportunities.
“This means social determinants of health exert a profound influence on children’s health outcomes.”
For the 14 counties in the Triad and Northwest N.C., the highest life expectancy is 81.6 years in Watauga and the lowest is 75.7 years in Rockingham.
The life expectancy is 79.1 years in Guilford County, 79.9 years in Durham County, 80.4 years in Mecklenburg County and 81.4 years in Wake County.
Among the Forsyth data cited by NC Child:
• One in 18 births is to a mother who received very late or no prenatal care, and likely to be uninsured at the time of conception;
• One in three children lives in poverty;
• One in 14 children does not have insurance coverage;
• An estimated 20,980 children are considered to be food insecure, living in households that struggle to provide enough healthy, nutritious food for all members of the family; and,
• One in nine babies is born at a low birth weight putting children at greater risk for developmental delays or future health complications, including infant mortality.
“These health challenges are avoidable,” Bell said. “We know that smart public-policy decisions can help enhance local efforts to ensure all children in Forsyth live in homes and communities that promote their health and development.”
The group offered three main suggestions to improve the odds of a longer life expectancy.
It said the state could strengthen access to health insurance for women of reproductive age by expanding Medicaid to cover adults below 138 percent of the federal poverty line.
State Republican leaders and Gov. Pat McCrory has been reluctant to take that step.
Almost from his first day as governor, McCrory has said the state Medicaid program “is broken” and must be fixed before he can consider expansion to cover an estimated 500,000 North Carolinians.
The group urges support for infant mortality prevention strategies, such as the Healthy Babies Bundle recommended by the Child Fatality Task Force.
It also recommends investing in early intervention services to reduce the effects of developmental delays.
A national study released March 25 found that the gap in the overall quality of health between Forsyth and its urban peers grew wider in the past year.
The study conducted by the Population Health Institute of the University of Wisconsin ranks each county within a state and does not make state-by-state comparisons. When the study was launched in 2010, Forsyth ranked 20th.
For 2015, Forsyth is No. 29, down from 26 in 2014. The rankings are available atwww.countyhealthrankings.org.
The county also ranked No. 29 in one of the two main categories: health outcomes, which consists of measuring premature deaths — before age 75 — and frequency of poor physical and mental-health days.
Forsyth was No. 27 in the health-factors category, up two spots. That category has subcategories focused on health behaviors, clinical care, socioeconomic factors and physical environment.
By comparison, Wake County was No. 2 overall and in both main categories.
Mecklenburg County was No. 5 overall, including No. 5 in outcomes and No. 114 in factors; Guilford County was No. 10 overall, including No. 10 in outcomes and No. 20 in factors; and Durham was No. 11 overall and in both categories.
Forsyth health officials said in a statement that although the annual rankings are important for gaining updated comparative information, “a county’s rank cannot be used to evaluate progress over time.”
“The updated rankings can be used to raise awareness about multiple factors that affect health, and target action in areas where there are the greatest opportunities for improvement.”
Source: Forsyth County Life Spans Lag Behind Other Urban Counties.