Data Graphics

Newly released data from County Health Rankings show that Black Ohioans have the lowest median household income among groups of Ohioans and have, by far, the highest rate of premature death (years of potential life lost before age 75, which reflects the burden of deaths that potentially could have been prevented).

Between 2018 and 2020, Black Ohioans collectively lost 13,374 years of life before turning 75 years old (see graphic above). That is nearly as many years lost as Hispanic (5,858) and white Ohioans (8,224) combined. At the same time, the median household income for Black Ohioans is $12,352 less than Hispanic Ohioans, $28,065 less than white Ohioans and $43,782 less than Asian Ohioans.

“Individual efforts alone cannot overcome the structural barriers that maintain the racial wealth divide,” County Health Rankings states. “Structural barriers include laws, policies, institutional practices, and economic arrangements that create unequal conditions.”

The latest edition of the County Health Rankings, released this week, includes a new curated list of strategies to address racial wealth building, a key to eliminating health disparities.

“Research shows that income inequality has a negative effect on overall population health,” according to the Rankings. “Economically unequal societies often have higher rates of physical and mental illness, violence, and incarceration.”

Throughout April, HPIO has marked National Minority Health Month by creating a series of data visualizations to illustrate health disparities in Ohio.

The percentage of Ohioans who are uninsured dropped by almost half from 12.3% to 6.4% between 2011 and 2019 (see graphic above).

Every race saw a drop in the percent of uninsured, with the percentage of Asian and Black Ohioans dropping most dramatically compared to other groups. Despite these gains in access, however, Ohioans of color are still more likely to be uninsured than white Ohioans.

Much of the drop in Ohio’s uninsured population is attributable to the state’s 2014 decision to expand Medicaid eligibility as part of the Affordable Care Act. In HPIO’s 2021 Health Value Dashboard™, Ohio ranked seventh out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia for access to care — the first time Ohio has ranked in the top quartile on any Health Value Dashboard domain.

While access is clearly a bright spot for the state, the Dashboard found that Ohio’s population health outcomes remain poor. Access to care is critical, particularly for Ohioans with serious health conditions. But the Dashboard and national research shows that health is shaped by many factors, including social, economic and physical environments.

This April, HPIO is creating a series of data graphics in recognition of National Minority Health Month.

While suicide deaths among young Ohioans have risen overall in Ohio over the past two decades, the increase has been sharpest among Black Ohioans.

In 1999, the suicide rates for both white Ohioans and Black Ohioans ages 10 to 24 were the same: 6.8 per 100,000 people. By 2020 (the most recent year for which data is available), the rate for white Ohioans had risen to 11.2 (an increase of 64%) and the rate for Black Ohioans had risen to 12.8 (an increase of 88%).

More-recent national research indicates that the disparity in suicide rates may have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reducing suicide and eliminating disparities are priorities of the Ohio Department of Health’s 2020-2022 State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP). Public- and private-sector leaders can implement strategies identified in the SHIP and Ohio’s 2020-2022 Suicide Prevention Plan, including suicide fatality review boards, behavioral health integration with primary care and education on safe storage of lethal means (i.e., firearms and medications).

This graphic was created as part of a series for National Minority Health Month.

If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, please call the National Suicide Hotline toll-free at 1-800-273-8255.

According to the most-recent data, Black women in Ohio are 2.2 times more likely to die from a cause related to pregnancy and have a 1.85 times higher rate of maternal morbidity (i.e., health problems related to pregnancy and childbirth) than white women.

Differences in healthcare access and conditions such as housing, transportation and income, as well as the cumulative impacts of toxic stress and discrimination, all contribute to stark disparities in maternal outcomes across the state.

Improving maternal health and eliminating disparities are priorities of the Ohio Department of Health’s 2020-2022 State Health Improvement Plan.

This graphic was created to mark the fifth annual Black Maternal Health Week, an event that coincides with National Minority Health Month.

Although the difference in vaccination rates for Black and white Ohioans persists, the gap has decreased in recent months. According to a national study conducted by Harvard researchers, “lack of access to the COVID-19 vaccine among minority populations in the U.S., rather than lower willingness to receive the vaccine, may have played a greater role in the racial-ethnic disparities we experienced in the early phases of the U.S. vaccination campaign.”

As of March 31, 57% of white Ohioans and 45% of Black Ohioans had completed vaccines for COVID-19 (two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson). That gap in vaccination rates has narrowed from a 29% difference between the two groups in November
to a 23% difference as of this week (see graphic above).

This graphic was created as part of a series for National Minority Health Month.

Recently released data shows that Ohioans continue to experience substantial financial burdens when paying for housing, and that Ohioans of color are disproportionately impacted.

Last year, HPIO released a fact sheet on housing affordability and health equity that described how stable, affordable and safe housing is critical for good health. Above is a graphic from the publication, updated with the most-recently available data.

The connections between housing and health are clear. Limited high-quality, affordable housing stock forces many Ohioans into stressful and unsafe housing situations that can lead to long-term negative health consequences, such as high blood pressure and poor birth outcomes.

HPIO’s fact sheet “Connections between Racism and Health: State and Local Policymakers,” further explains the connection between racism, housing and health: “Decades of racist housing policies, such as historical redlining and present-day predatory lending practices, have resulted in neighborhood segregation, concentrated poverty and disinvestment from Black communities in Ohio that continue to this day. As a result, Ohioans of color are more likely to experience harmful community conditions — such as food deserts and unsafe, unstable housing — that impact health.”

The fact sheet includes action steps policymakers can take to support the health and well-being of Ohioans of color and move Ohio toward a more economically vibrant and healthier future.

The fact sheet is one in a series of three that are companions to the HPIO policy brief “Connections between Racism and Health: Taking Action to Eliminate Racism and Advance Equity.” The other fact sheets in the series address private-sector organizations and individuals and community groups.