Data Graphics

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. 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.”

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

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.”

Earlier this summer, public health nonprofit the Truth Initiative released a new report on “Tobacco Nation,” the 12 contiguous states (including Ohio) that have smoking rates that are 50% higher than the national average. This list of states overlaps substantially with the states ranked in the bottom quartile for population health in HPIO’s 2023 Health Value Dashboard. In fact, 11 of the 13 bottom quartile states are part of Tobacco Nation, as illustrated above.

Analysis from HPIO has found a strong link between smoking rates and overall population health and healthcare spending. Ohio reports higher rates of adult smoking than most other states (ranking near the bottom at 44th) and Dashboard analysis “found a strong correlation between adult smoking and health value, indicating that tobacco use is a leading driver of poor health and higher healthcare spending.”

Previous analysis by HPIO also supports the link between tobacco use, population health and healthcare spending, “States with a lower adult smoking rate are more likely to have a better health value rank— meaning better population health outcomes and lower healthcare spending,” the analysis found.

All of HPIO’s work related to tobacco is available on the Institute’s website.

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.”