Ohio Health Policy News

New analysis from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio found that the number of firearm-involved deaths among Ohio children increased sharply in recent years, as illustrated above.
 
According to data from the Ohio Department of Health’s Ohio Public Health Data Warehouse, there were 104 deaths involving a firearm of children ages 0-17 in Ohio in 2022, or a rate of 4.05 deaths per 100,000 children. That is more than double the rate of 2007, when the death rate was 1.76 per 100,000 Ohio children.
 
What Works for Health, an online tool developed by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute to identify evidence-informed health policies, includes a number of potential options that local and state leaders can consider to increase firearm safety for children.

The Centers for Disease Control said the rate of kindergarteners exempted from school vaccinations has hit the highest level ever at a national average of 3% in the 2022-2023 school year – up from 2.6% (Source: “CDC reports increase in kindergarten vaccine exemptions, Ohio is above the national average,” WOSU, Nov. 10).
 
Ohio’s exemption rate is just above the national average at 3.8%, which is up 0.8% from the 2021-2022 school year.
 
Ohio law allows students to be exempted from vaccines for medical reasons or “reasons of conscious,” which include religious reasons. The CDC estimates about 89% of Ohio's nearly 134,900 kindergarteners are fully vaccinated for diphtheria, tetanus, polio and measles, mumps and rubella. Some others are partially vaccinated or in a vaccination grace period. The national average for full vaccination is about 93% – slightly lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic, when the national vaccination rate was at 95% in the 2019-2020 school year.

Last month, HPIO released a new Data Snapshot that highlights the prevalence in Ohio of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — potentially traumatic events that occur during childhood.

Exposure to ACEs —is a pervasive problem affecting many children in Ohio and across the country. ACEs exposure contributes to poor health and well-being throughout life, including disrupted neurodevelopment, social and emotional challenges, disease, disability and premature death.

The analysis found that the risk for developing poor health outcomes associated with ACEs increases in proportion to the number of ACEs to which a person is exposed. For example, as illustrated above, Ohioans who have been exposed to two or more ACES are almost twice as likely to report being a current smoker than people who did not experience any ACEs.

Starting in 2020, HPIO released a series of policy briefs on the health and economic impacts of ACEs and elevated 12 evidence-informed, cost-effective strategies (program, policies and practices) that can prevent ACEs.

HPIO has released a new Data Snapshot that highlights the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in Ohio, displays differences in exposure to ACEs for groups of Ohioans and shows how ACEs connect to poor health outcomes.

Exposure to ACEs — potentially traumatic events that occur during childhood — is a pervasive problem affecting many children in Ohio and across the country. ACEs exposure contributes to poor health and well-being throughout life, including disrupted neurodevelopment, social and emotional challenges, disease, disability and premature death.

In 2021, nearly two thirds of Ohio adults reported having been exposed to ACEs, and nearly half of all adults reported being exposed to two or more ACEs, as illustrated above.

Starting in 2020, HPIO released a series of policy briefs on the health and economic impacts of ACEs and elevated 12 evidence-informed, cost-effects strategies (program, policies and practices) that can prevent ACEs.

Last week, HPIO release a new data snapshot, “Updated Death Trends among Working-age Ohioans,” that found that the number of annual deaths among working-age Ohioans increased 32% from 2007 to 2022, from 25,885 to 34,146.

The analysis also found that unintentional injuries, including unintentional drug overdoses and motor vehicle crashes, increased the most from 2007 to 2022 among the leading causes of death, as illustrated above. Cancer is the only leading cause of death that decreased since 2007 for this age group.

“These mostly preventable deaths have a tremendous impact on Ohio families, communities and society,” according to the data snapshot. “In addition, the loss of a large number of working-age adults negatively affects Ohio’s economy and businesses.”

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Updated analysis from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio found that working-age Ohioans are dying at a much higher rate than they were 15 years ago, despite a drop in deaths in 2022 as the state emerged from the pandemic.

The analysis, which is compiled in a new data snapshot, “Death Trends among Working-age Ohioans,” found that the number of deaths among working-age Ohioans increased 32% from 2007 to 2022, from 25,885 to 34,146, as illustrated above. If the annual number of deaths had remained constant since 2007, 66,637 fewer working-age Ohioans would have died.

“These mostly preventable deaths have a tremendous impact on Ohio families, communities and society,” according to the data snapshot. “In addition, the loss of a large number of working-age adults negatively affects Ohio’s economy and businesses.”

The leading cause of death for working-age adults remains unintentional injuries, which included unintentional drug overdoses and motor vehicle crashes.

“Unintentional drug overdose deaths continue to play a major role in Ohio’s increased death rate, accounting for 14% of all deaths among Ohioans ages 15-64 in 2022,” the analysis found.

The analysis concludes that “There are many effective strategies to address substance use, promote mental health and support access to healthy food and physical activity, all of which can help reduce deaths among working-age Ohioans… Public and private partners can work together to ensure more Ohio workers have the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life.”

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Consistent with national research findings and previous HPIO work, new analysis from the Institute finds that Ohioans who reported experiencing more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were also more likely to report negative outcomes that contribute to poor health. For example, as illustrated above, the percent of Ohioans who were exposed to two or more ACEs were almost twice as likely to smoke (23%) as those exposed to no ACEs (13%). Similarly, the percent of Ohioans with depression who were exposed to two or more ACEs (34%) was more than three times higher than Ohioans with depression who reported no ACEs (11%).

Exposure to ACEs affects many children in Ohio and across the country. National data and analysis provide clear evidence that ACEs exposure is linked to poor health and well-being through adulthood, including disrupted neurodevelopment, social problems, disease, disability and premature death. In addition, ACEs exposure has severe long-term cost implications at the individual and societal levels, including increased medical, child welfare, criminal justice and special education expenditures. However, the negative effects of ACEs can be mitigated. HPIO has presented 12 key strategies to intervene early and prevent the poor health outcomes associated with ACEs.

Click here to learn more about HPIO’s Ohio ACEs Impact project

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September is National Hispanic Heritage Month, and analysis from HPIO’s 2023 Health Value Dashboard has found that the uninsured rate for Hispanic Ohioans is 2.5 times worse than for white Ohioans, and Hispanic Ohioans are 2.4 times more likely than white Ohioans to be unable to see a doctor due to cost. If disparities were eliminated, 23,892 fewer Hispanic Ohioans would be uninsured and 32,000 fewer Hispanic Ohioans would face cost barriers to seeing a doctor, according to Dashboard analysis.

Included in the Dashboard are equity profiles, which explore gaps in outcomes among groups of Ohioans and analyze the barriers to health that contribute to these gaps. “Every Ohioan should have the opportunity to live a long and healthy life, free from environments and experiences that expose them to harm,” the report states. “However, many Ohioans continue to face unhealthy conditions and barriers to health in their homes, schools, workplaces and communities.”

September is National Suicide Prevention Month and new data analysis from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio found that mental health challenges increased for high school students in Ohio during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particularly striking increase among female high school students.

According to data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Ohio high school teens reported increases from 2019 to 2021 in feeling sad or hopeless, seriously considering suicide, making a plan to attempt suicide, attempting suicide and having a suicide attempt that resulted in being treated by a doctor or nurse.

However, the increases for female teens were drastically higher than for males, as illustrated above. Attempted suicides among female students increased by 148% between 2019 and 2021, compared to a 51% decrease for males. And attempts resulting in treatment from a medical professional increased 33% for females and dropped 81% for males during the same time period.

If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 to get in touch with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 

Analysis by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio has found that alcohol-involved deaths have continued to increase over the past two decades but have risen dramatically over the last few years (as illustrated above). Alcohol-involved deaths include both deaths caused by long-term alcohol use, such as chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, and acute causes of death, such as alcohol poisoning.

September is designated National Recovery Month and state policymakers can use HPIO’s 2021 brief Health Impacts of Excessive Alcohol Use in Ohio to find a list of evidence-based strategies to reduce excessive alcohol use in Ohio, as well as examples of effective strategies for implementation across sectors. According to the brief, “Decades of research have led to a strong understanding of what works to prevent youth drinking, reduce excessive alcohol use, increase access to addiction treatment and reduce alcohol-impaired driving and alcohol-related violence.”