Data Graphics

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and data from the Ohio Department of Health shows that Ohio students who experience more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are less likely to have social connections, an important protective factor that can buffer children and families from the well-documented harmful effects of toxic stress and adversity and contribute to better overall mental health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “When people are socially connected and have stable and supportive relationships, they are more likely to make healthy choices and to have better mental and physical health outcomes. They are also better able to cope with hard times, stress, anxiety, and depression.”

As illustrated above, just one in four Ohio students with four or more ACEs reported feeling like they could most of the time or always talk to an adult in their life about their feelings. About three in four students with no ACEs reported having a trusted adult to whom they could talk. Students with more ACEs were also less likely to report having a trusted friend.

As part of its ongoing ACEs work, last year HPIO released a policy brief on building skills and strengthening connections to caring adults. “Increasing these protective factors can lead to stronger families, better health, educational and employment outcomes and benefits to society at large,” the brief stated.

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released a new toolkit designed to provide partners with information about how to use evaluation to move towards equity.

Each section of “Moving Toward Equity: An Evaluation Toolkit,” covers a different element of evaluation, including information on how to tie evaluation into every step of assessment, planning, implementation and continuous quality improvement processes.

“There is much still to be done to ensure Ohioans of color, LGBTQ+ Ohioans, Ohioans with disabilities, Ohioans with low incomes, Ohioans living in urban, rural and Appalachian areas, and others can thrive in our state,” the toolkit states.

For example, HPIO’s 2024 Health Value Dashboard shows that Black and Hispanic Ohio children are much more likely to experience food insecurity than their white peers (as displayed above).

“An important part of this work is to evaluate and measure if our efforts to achieve equity are successful,” the toolkit states. “Evaluation tells us if what we’re doing is making a difference. It gives us the information needed to understand where we need to change, refocus or intensify our approaches. Perhaps more importantly, evaluation is also a process that can build trust, collaboration and accountability.”

The toolkit includes guidance, tools and resources on:

• Setting the stage for evaluation through assessment and planning
• Equitable approaches to evaluation
• Developing an equitable evaluation plan
• Using evaluation results for continuous quality improvement
• Collecting data for evaluation

The Toolkit is for anyone who is dedicated to advancing equity, passionate about achieving results and committed to stewarding resources. Tools are located in a separate workbook that is meant to be interactive and fillable, and can be accessed on the publication page.

April is Minority Health Month and new analysis from data included in HPIO’s 2024 Health Value Dashboard shows that if disparities were eliminated in Ohio, Black Ohioans could collectively gain more than 60,000 years of life.

As illustrated above, because of disparities and inequities, Black Ohioans die prematurely at a rate 1.6 times greater than white Ohioans.

The Health Value Dashboard, released last week, includes equity profiles that explore gaps in outcomes among groups of Ohioans and analyze the barriers to health that contribute to these gaps. The profiles also include calculations for how many Ohioans would benefit if disparities were eliminated.

Last year HPIO released a first-of-its-kind analysis of the economic benefits of eliminating racial disparities in Ohio.

Earlier this week, HPIO released the sixth edition of the Health Value Dashboard, a tool to track Ohio’s progress toward health value — a composite measure of performance on population health outcomes and healthcare spending.

As illustrated above, the Dashboard found that Ohio ranks in the bottom quartile (44th) on health value compared to other states and D.C. That means that Ohioans continue to live less healthy lives and spend more on health care than people in most other states.

The Dashboard includes more than 100 data metrics on population health, healthcare spending and five additional areas that contribute to health value, plus profiles of groups of Ohioans who face discrimination and obstacles to health and well-being. It is designed for policymakers and other public- and private-sector leaders to examine Ohio’s performance relative to other states, track change over time and identify and explore health disparities and inequities in Ohio.

In analyzing Dashboard data, HPIO identified four policy priorities to improve health value:

• Mental well-being
• Tobacco and cannabis prevention
• Healthcare affordability
• Creating opportunities to thrive

April is Alcohol Awareness Month and HPIO analysis has found alcohol use is increasing in Ohio, affecting the health of many Ohioans.

Alcohol use is influenced by many factors, including stress, trauma, mental health challenges and experiences of discrimination. However, alcohol use can worsen symptoms of mental health conditions over time and lead to other health challenges.

As illustrated above, liquor sales in Ohio increased by 98% from 2000 to 2020. The pandemic appears to have accelerated alcohol consumption trends that began during the past decade. The sharp increase in the amount of liquor sold in Ohio from 2017 to 2020 indicates that an existing upward trend in alcohol consumption may have been exacerbated by social isolation and stress during the pandemic.

Since 2007, deaths among working-age Ohioans related to chronic liver disease and cirrhosis -- deaths that are directly related to alcohol consumption -- increased by 72%.

A CDC report released last week found that, nationally, deaths from excessive drinking are reversing historic trends, with rates among women now climbing faster than among men (Source: “More Women Are Drinking Themselves Sick. The Biden Administration Is Concerned.,” Kaiser Health News, March 28).

The CDC has developed a self-screening tool that allows users to gauge their alcohol use and create a personalized plan to drink less.

Excessive drinking is one of the more than 100 metrics included in HPIO’s 2024 Health Value Dashboard, which will be released Tuesday, April 9.

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released a new fact sheet titled “Uplifting Community Voices: Housing and Health.”

The fact sheet uplifts experiences with two programs — Healthy Beginnings at Home (HBAH) and Families Flourish — with emerging evidence of improving housing stability and maternal, child and family health and well-being.

The fact sheet explores the following themes that arose through thematic analysis of program participant and staff interviews:

• Housing access improves physical and mental health
• Housing location matters for well-being
• Social support, resources and time build long-term stability
• Housing programs can provide opportunities for empowerment and advocacy

The fact sheet found that, like other states, Ohio faces major challenges in housing affordability and availability. As illustrated above, housing cost burden varies by county in Ohio, but also by race with Black (20.3%), Hispanic (14.8%) and Asian (11.6%) Ohioans experiencing severe housing cost burden more often than white Ohioans (9.2%).

“Programs like the two highlighted in this fact sheet are needed because, while housing is a foundational driver of health, not everyone has equal access to housing,” the report states. “Stable and safe housing influences access to jobs, healthy food, quality healthcare and educational opportunities and reduces stress. Housing is especially important during pregnancy and for families with young children, impacting maternal, child and family well-being.”