Health Survey to Quiz 400 in Racine Area; City Officials Promoting Aurora Study

Close to 400 residents of the Racine area can expect to receive phone calls between now and August from Aurora Health Care, which plans to ask specific questions about their eating habits, physical exercise and access to health care.

It’s part of the health care organization’s massive surveying of residents throughout southeastern Wisconsin.

Aurora wants to identify ways to better tailor the services it provides in various communities.

Racine health officials, who are promoting the survey, want more ammunition for their efforts to improve residents’ health. Studies have shown that the city is suffering from major health problems.

“I would encourage all residents in our community to help us with this research,” Marcia Fernholz, the city’s interim administrator of public health, said Thursday.

Aurora first began surveying communities in 2003.

The survey of Racine residents that year found that 64% were overweight, 45% got “insufficient” physical activity, 27% smoked and 23% suffered from high blood pressure.

There was also good news.

Within the past year, 67% had been to the dentist, 61% had received a routine checkup and 49% had received an eye exam.

But in looking at access to health care, it also found that residents with lower education and lower household income were more likely to have fair or poor health and less likely to have health insurance.

Other surveys have turned up similar findings.

A health assessment of the city in 2001 uncovered a strikingly high rate of psychiatric illnesses and suicide, problems that health officials said are linked to a high rate of substance abuse.

The recent Racine Health Department study also revealed that people are plagued with health problems that are on the rise nationwide, such as obesity and hepatitis C.

A survey of 200 middle-school students in Racine released late last year showed that the city’s youths are overfed, undernourished and inactive.

The Aurora survey should indicate whether Racine residents are becoming healthier and whether their access to health care is improving, Aurora official Mark Huber said.

He said surveys are planned for 2008 and 2011.

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