Page 101 - 2015 Compass Now

How common are these behaviors among adults in the Great Rivers Region?

According to the 2015 County Health Rankings, La Crosse County ranked fourth for health behaviors.
This rank is based on a combination of behavioral factors (smoking, obesity, exercises, food and exercise
environment, alcohol use, STIs, and teen births). Monroe County ranked the lowest of all Great Rivers
counties at 59th. See Table 8 for more details.

Table 8: Select Health Risks by County

County/Region Health Adult Smoking Adult Obesity Excessive Motor Vehicle
Behavior Drinking Mortality Rate
La Crosse Ranking (2006-2012) 2011 (2006-2012) (per 100,000;
Monroe (2015) 2006-2012)
Trempealeau
Vernon 4 15% 23% 26% 9
Houston
Wisconsin 59 23% 30% 26% 12
Minnesota
36 19% 30% 24% 18

48 23% 30% 23% 21

8 13% 26% 22% 13

- 18% 29% 24% 11

- 16% 26% 19% 9

Source: County Health Rankings
Wisconsin has 72 counties and Minnesota has 87 counties.

Please note that the rates in Table 8 are reported in the County Health Rankings for 2015. These rates HEALTH
represent a combination of several years worth of data. For example, adult smoking is based on data
combined from 2006-2012. Excessive drinking is a combination of binge and excessive drinking over this
time frame. These statistics come from the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, a telephone survey of
residents in La Crosse County. Unfortunately, survey numbers are too small to report a yearly rate with any
confidence. Thus, any recent changes in the rates of these behaviors are not reflect in the number in Table 6.
However, short of completing a new survey, these are the best estimates available.

Tobacco use is the leading cause of death in the United States, causing over 480,000 deaths in 2013,
including nearly 42,000 deaths from secondhand smoke exposure. This is the equivalent of one in five
deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day18. Tobacco use has declined nationally from 23.2% in 2000 to
17.3% in 2010. Wisconsin’s tobacco use rate has also declined from 24% in 2000 to 19% in 2010, and
Minnesota’s rate went from 19.8% to 14.9%19.

Obesity, the second leading cause of death in the United States, has increased significantly from 2000 to
2010. This increase has occurred nationally as well as within Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Great Rivers
Region. According to the CDC, between 2011 and 2012, 69% of U.S. adults age 20 years and older were
overweight; 35% of them were obese. In 2013, 49.4% of adults 18 years and over met the Physical Activity
Guidelines, and 23.9% of adults 18 years and over met the guidelines for muscle strengthening20. According
to the CDC, in 2012, 29% of Great Rivers Region adults were obese. This is the same as the Wisconsin
average and higher than the Minnesota average of 23%.

Obesity is a significant issue in all of the counties in our region. Several initiatives which attempt to address
obesity issues have been launched in the Great Rivers Region. These efforts increase access to fresh and
affordable fruits and vegetables and other whole grains, and increase the bikeability and walkability of
our region. These programs are intended to have long-term effects on obesity. Unfortunately, there is
little uniformity to these programs in all areas of the Great Rivers Region. Several areas within the Great

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