Data graphics

New data analysis from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio found that while Ohio’s rate of traffic deaths has remained below the U.S. over the past decade, fatalities related to drivers operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs have increased 78% in the state from 2017 to 2021 (as illustrated in the graphic above).

The data also shows a spike in fatalities in both Ohio and the U.S. in 2020, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. According to preliminary research by the federal Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), people who continued to drive during the pandemic may have engaged in riskier behavior including speeding, failure to wear seat belts and driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

Ohio ranked 15^th in the nation (out of the 50 states and D.C.) in motor vehicle deaths in HPIO’s 2021 Health Value Dashboard. HPIO plans to release its 2023 Dashboard in May.

New data analysis by the Health Policy Institute of Ohio shows that more Ohioans report having high blood pressure than people in other states (as illustrated in the graphic above).

The analysis also found that hypertension is more common among Black Ohioans and Ohioans with lower incomes, groups that often experience high rates of chronic stress, a leading contributor to high blood pressure.

There is emerging research establishing a link between higher rates of hypertension among African Americans and the chronic stress of discrimination and racism.

According to an HPIO policy brief on the connections between racism and health, “chronic exposure to racism renders communities of color more vulnerable to negative health outcomes across the life span and can lead to early death.”

The data graphic is the second produced by HPIO in February, which is American Heart Month, a designation designed to spotlight heart disease.

New data analysis by HPIO shows that Ohio has a higher rate of heart disease mortality than most other states (as illustrated in the graphic above).

The rate in Ohio is 67% higher than Minnesota, the state with the lowest rate.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both Ohio and the U.S., according to CDC data. Last year, HPIO released a Data Snapshot on death trends among working-age Ohioans that found heart disease is also the third-leading cause of death among Ohioans ages 15-64. Ohio ranked 42^nd in heart disease in HPIO’s 2021 Health Value Dashboard (the 2023 Dashboard is expected to be released in early May).

February is American Heart Month, a designation designed to spotlight heart disease.

New analysis from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio, conducted as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, found that Ohio children are more likely to witness domestic violence than children in the U.S. overall.

In 2020, the most recent year for which data is available, 6.9% of Ohio children witnessed domestic violence, compared to the national average of 5.4% (as displayed in the graphic above). That percentage translates to an estimate of more than 171,000 Ohio children having witnessed domestic violence in their home, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health.

Earlier this week, the Ohio Domestic Violence Network reported that 131 people died from domestic violence in the year ending June 30, 2021. That is a 20% increase in fatalities from the year before and a 62% increase from two years prior.

Witnessing domestic violence is an adverse childhood experience (ACE) that can cause long-lasting harms that persist throughout life. For more information on ACEs and evidence-informed strategies to prevent them, visit HPIO’s Ohio ACEs Impact Project.

Help and resources are available for victims of domestic violence. The Ohio Domestic Violence Network has a help line at 1-800-934-9840 and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence has an anonymous 24/7 helpline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE). The OhioHealth Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio also provides advocacy and emotional support services.

At the conclusion of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, new analysis from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio details the changing demographic trends in suicide deaths in Ohio (as illustrated in the graphic above).

According to data from the Ohio Public Health Data Warehouse, between 2007 and 2021 (the most-recent year in which data is available), suicide deaths increased for both male and female Ohioans, with a greater increase among males. Suicides among Black Ohioans have increased 56% over the past 14 years, compared to a 34% increase for white Ohioans. In terms of age groups, Ohioans ages 25-64 remain the most likely to die by suicide, although rates have increased for all ages since 2007.

Earlier this month, HPIO released a graphic illustrating how, between 2007 and 2021, the rate of suicide deaths in Ohio that involved a firearm increased by more than 50% and how, in 2021, suicides involving a firearm accounted for more than all other methods combined.

Suicide is preventable and the state’s 2020-2022 Suicide Prevention Plan include evidence-informed strategies that both public- and private-sector leaders can implement to address the issue.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, please call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. If you don’t like talking on the phone, consider using the Crisis Text Line at www.crisistextline.org or text “4HOPE” to 741-741.

Firearms are the most common method of suicide in Ohio, according to analysis from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (as illustrated in the graphic above).

Between 2007 and 2021 (the most-recent year in which data is available), the rate of suicide deaths in Ohio that involved a firearm increased by more than 50%. In 2021, suicides involving a firearm accounted for more deaths than all other means combined.

Suicide is preventable and the state’s 2020-2022 Suicide Prevention Plan include evidence-informed strategies that both public- and private-sector leaders can implement to address the issue.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, please call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 or the Trevor Project at 866-488-7386. If you don’t like talking on the phone, consider using the Crisis Text Line at www.crisistextline.org or text “4HOPE” to 741-741.

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.

Both homicides and suicides have significantly increased in Ohio over the past two decades and firearms have been used in a greater percentage of those deaths, new analysis from the Health Policy Institute of Ohio has found (see graphic above).

Between 1999 and 2020 (the most-recent year in which data is available), suicide deaths in Ohio increased 49% from 1,102 to 1,644 and homicides increased 123% from 450 to 1,004.

The percent of homicides in which a firearm was used has also risen steadily over the past two decades. In 1999, a firearm was used in 57% of homicides, and in 2020 that percentage increased to 82%. In 2020, a firearm was used in 54.9% of suicides.