Pierce County tops health index for lack of sleep, violent crime
If you yawn when you read this story, you’re not alone.
More than one in three Pierce County residents say they get less than seven hours of sleep per night, making Pierce the most sleep-deprived county in the state.
The measure is among a slate of county-level health data collected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
The county is at or near the top for other ignoble measures, including second in the state for new chlamydia infections — a positive development considering the county rated No. 1 last year. Pierce County also rated No. 1 for violent crime per 100,000 population, though the report notes that the county’s crime rate has fallen in recent years.
Though the county falls in the middle of the pack for life expectancy measures, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department notes that people who live in wealthier areas of Tacoma and Lakewood live eight years longer than those in poorer areas just a mile away.
“This is powerful information about unacceptable disparities. And this type of insight helps us work smarter to ensure everyone gets a fair chance at good health,” said Health Department director Anthony Chen in a news release.
Pierce’s overall health ranking was No. 24 in the report, a drop from 21st last year. This year’s top five counties were San Juan, King, Island, Snohomish and Whatcom.
Of the top 10 counties for overall health, Thurston comes in at No. 7 and exceeds other counties in percent of people with some college education. Thurston County has a relatively low number of residents without health insurance and fewer people than the state average saying they do not exercise during leisure time.
For more information, see countyhealthrankings.org. For the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department’s full report, log on to tpchd.org/healthequity.
Kate Martin: 253-597-8542, @KateReports
This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 8:59 AM with the headline "Pierce County tops health index for lack of sleep, violent crime."