Measuring community health in the Western Upper Peninsula
Assessment is a core function of public health. Through the Community Health Assessment and Improvement process, a community describes its population, identifies trends and areas of concern, prioritizes community needs, develops plans and programs to address those needs, and evaluates the effectiveness of its efforts.
The Western U.P. District Health Department plays a leading role in Community Health Assessment for the five counties of the Western Upper Peninsula. In January 2001, the Health Department, in collaboration with the Copper Country Human Services Coordinating Body and Gogebic-Ontonagon Human Services Coordinating Board and with funding from the Keweenaw Community Foundation, published a compendium of assessment data titled the “Western Upper Peninsula Community Profile 2000,” which may be downloaded below. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader™ to view or print the download.
 |
“Western Upper Peninsula Community Profile” contains hundreds of health status indicators for the individual counties, region and state. It is intended as a resource to planners in the fields of health, education, public safety and other human-services fields.
Click here to download Community Profile 2000 (330k) |
Regional Community Assessment Summary
The five counties of the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan – Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon – are home to 71,000 residents. The population is older and less diverse than the state and national populations, with 18 percent of the residents over age 65 and 95 percent white. The population density of the five rural counties is 14 persons per square mile, compared with 173 per square mile statewide.
The current population of the region is about 1.4 percent smaller than it was in 1990, at least partially due to a lack of economic opportunity. The median household income of the Western U.P., at $27,651, trails the Michigan average by 29 percent. The number of jobs in the region has grown by 14 percent since 1992, or a modest 1.4 percent per annum. Robust job growth in Baraga and Houghton counties has been offset by weak job growth in Gogebic County and a 25 percent decrease in the number of jobs in Ontonagon County – a loss of 925 jobs – in the past eight years.
Regional rates for most maternal and child health indicators compare favorably to Michigan rates, with the exception of rates of substance use during pregnancy. Western U.P. mothers are more likely than their peers statewide to smoke or drink alcohol while pregnant. Childhood immunization rates as reported in the Michigan Childhood Immunization Registry are extremely low, which indicates a weakness in the local system of preventive health care delivery. To what extent the 43 percent rate reflects incomplete reporting as opposed to under-vaccinated children is impossible to quantify.
Local crude death rates for heart disease, cancer, stroke and other diseases associated with aging are significantly higher than state and national rates due to the large cohort of elderly residents in the region, but the regional age-adjusted death rate is actually 8 percent lower than statewide. The regional infant-mortality rate for the years 1990-1999 averaged 6.0 per 1,000 live births, which is about 25 percent lower than the overall Michigan rate but roughly equal to the state rate for white babies. Communicable disease rates are low in the Western U.P., as would be expected for a relatively remote population.
Regional rates for heavy drinking, binge drinking, alcohol-induced deaths and car crashes where alcohol was a factor are higher than statewide. In recent surveys, over half of area 12th graders drank alcohol and smoked.
The 1997-99 violent crime rate for the Western U.P., at 114 offenses per 100,000 residents, is just one fifth of the Michigan rate. There were no homicides in the Western U.P. in 1999.
Community Health Status Indicators
Indicator |
Western U.P. Recent Year(s) |
State, National, or Prior-Year Benchmark |
Percent Change or Difference |
|
1) Population |
70,973 – July 1999 |
72,007 – 1990 |
1.4% Decrease |
|
2) Median Household Income |
$27,651 – 1997 |
$38,883 – Michigan, 1997 |
29% Lower |
|
3) Total Jobs |
32,075 – 2000 |
28,125 – 1992 |
14% Increase |
|
4) Age-Adjusted Mortality Rate |
443/100,000 – 1998 |
483/100,000 – Michigan, 1998 |
8.3% Lower |
|
5) Infant Mortality Rate |
6.0/1,000 – 1990-99 Average |
8.0/1,000 – Michigan, 1999 |
25% Lower |
|
6) Immunization Rate |
43% |
90% – Healthy People 2000 Goal |
52% Lower |
|
7) HBD Car Crashes |
232/100,000 – 1997 |
207/100,000 – Michigan, 1997 |
12% Higher |
|
8) Teen Smoking Rate |
50% – 1998 |
34% – National, 1998 |
47% Higher |
|
9) Teen Alcohol Use Rate |
56.0% – 1998 |
50.8% – National, 1998 |
10% Higher |
|
10) Violent Crime Rate |
114/100,000 – 1997-99 |
576/100,000 – Michigan, 1997-99 |
80% Lower |
Notes:
1) July 1999 five-county population estimated by Office of State Demographer, Michigan Dept. of Management and Budget. 1990 figure from U.S. Census Bureau.
2) Michigan Dept. of Management and Budget 1997 estimates.
3) Employment figures from Office of Labor Market Information, Michigan Dept. of Career Development, 1992 average of monthly figures and October 2000 year-to-date average.
4) Michigan Department of Community Health age-adjusted death rates computed by direct method, using as a standard population the age distribution of the United States.
5) Infant (under 1 year old) deaths per 1,000 live births. The Western U.P. figure is a 10-year average, due to the small number of events in any given year.
6) The regional rate reflects the number of children age 19-35 months who have completed the infant vaccination series, as reported in the Michigan Childhood Immunization Registry. The rate is certainly based on incomplete data, but is used here to indicate a systems deficiency. The actual rate is unknown. The benchmark is a national target rate.
7) Rates based on the number of car crashes per 100,000 residents where the driver had been drinking or under the influence of drugs.
8) The percent of 12-graders that said they had smoked cigarettes in the past 30 days, 1998. The local rate is based on a survey of 621 students in various schools throughout 4 counties, adjusted to reflect the actual distribution of 12-graders in the region.
9) The percent of 621 12-graders that consumed alcohol in the past 30-days, adjusted to reflect the actual regional population distribution.
10) The average rate of murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults per 100,000 residents, from offenses reported in the Michigan Uniform Crime Reports 1997-99.
