Here’s some not-bad news: of the 92 counties in the State of Indiana, Porter County is the 16th healthiest.

Porter County’s neighbors, on the other hand, fare less well. Lake County ranks 84th and LaPorte County 61st.

That, according to “County Health Rankings,” a study released last week of the “health outcomes” of the nation’s more than 3,000 counties, conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute.

The study is available for viewing at www.countyhealthrankings.org

The study evaluates 28 separate indices in four categories—health behaviors, clinical, social and economic factors, and physical environment—then compares a county’s score in a particular index to a “target value,” then runs all the numbers to calculate a “health-outcome” ranking.

“In this model, health outcomes are measures that describe the current health of a county,” the study’s Introduction notes. “These health outcomes are influenced by a set of health factors. These health factors and their outcomes may also be affected by community-based programs and policies designed to alter their distribution in the community. Counties can improve health outcomes by addressing all health factors with effective, evidence-based programs and policies.”

The study is notable for its wide variety of indices, incorporating some standard ones—like smoking, obesity, and binge-drinking rates; low birthweight rates; and health insurance rates—with some telling socio-economic and physical-environment one: education, unemployment, income inequality, access to healthful foods, liquor-store density, and air pollution.

An overview of Porter County’s “health outcome”:

•Adult smoking: 26 percent (target: 21 percent).

•Adult obesity: 32 percent (target: 28 percent).

•Binge drinking, defined as four or more alcoholic drinks for a woman, five or more for a man, on a single occasion: 17 percent (target: 9 percent).

•Motor-vehicle crash rate: 16 per 100,000 residents (target: 12).

•Chlamydia rate: 114 per 100,000 (target: 76).

•Poor physical-health days per month, as self-reported by residents: 3.4 (target: 2.9).

•Poor mental-health days, as self-reported: 3.6 (target: 2.5).

•Low birthweight: 7 percent (target: 6 percent).

•Uninsured adults: 15 percent (target: 12 percent).

•Rate of primary-care providers: 87 per 100,000 (target: 134).

•Hospice use: 43 percent (target: 36 percent).

•High-school graduation: 85 percent (target: 85 percent).

•College degrees: 25 percent (target: 25 percent).

•Unemployment (at the time of the study): 5 percent (target: 5 percent).

•Children in poverty: 12 percent (target: 11 percent).

•Income inequality, with 100 the value of absolutely unequal wealth distribution and 0 that of perfectly equal wealth distribution: 42 (target: 37).

•Single-parent households: 8 percent (target: 7 percent).

•Homicide rate: two per 100,000 (target: one).

•Air pollution/particulate matter days: eight per year (target: three).

•Air pollution/ozone days: 16 (target: 0).

•Access to healthy foods, as measured by the percent of zip codes in a county with grocery stores or farmer’s markets: 50 percent (target: 67).

•Liquor-store density: 1.1 stores per 100,000 (target: 0.7).

Why does Lake County score so far below Porter County in health outcome?

On many indices Lake County is comparable to Porter County, with only slightly higher smoking and obesity rates, for example, and only a slightly lower number of uninsured adults.

And Lake County out-performs Porter County on other indices: with fewer fatal motor-vehicle crashes; more primary-care providers; and better access to healthful foods.

But Lake County badly under-performs Porter County on several key indices:

•Chlamydia rate: 417 per 100,000 (Porter County: 114).

•Teen birth rate: 49 per 100,000 (Porter County: 25).

•High-school education: 69 percent (Porter County: 85 percent).

•Children in poverty: 24 percent (Porter County: 12 percent).

•Single-parent households: 12 percent (Porter County: 8 percent).

•Homicide rate: 20 per 100,000 (Porter County: two).

•Air pollution/particulate matter days: 15 per year (Porter County: eight).

•Air pollution/ozone days: 20 per year (Porter County: 16).

•Liquor-store density: 1.7 per 100,000 (Porter County: 1.1).

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) did respond a little touchily to the report. Last week, IDEM Commissioner Thomas Easterly released this statement:

“IDEM is aware of and is reviewing the report. It would be helpful to note that the report used air-quality data from 2005, which does not reflect recent improvements to Indiana’s air quality.

“As of 2009, all 92 counties in Indiana meet all national health-based air-quality standards, including ozone and fine-particle levels evaluated in the report. IDEM samples and evaluates air quality on a continual basis, using a network that contains more air monitors per capita than surrounding states.

“Since motor vehicle emissions are the single largest contributor to ozone and fine particles, anything that Hoosiers can do to reduce vehicle emissions will help improve air quality. Carpooling, reducing vehicle idling, and turning down furnaces by a few degrees can make a big impact when multiplied by 6 million Hoosiers.”

For the record, Hamilton County in Central Indiana is the state’s healthiest county; Scott County in Southeast Indiana, the state’s unhealthiest.

Posted 2/24/2010