Food Insecurity: Persons who live in neighborhoods with better access to retailers such as supermarkets and large grocery stores that typically offer fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods might have healthier diets. However, in 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that 40% of all U.S. households do not have easy access (i.e., access within 1 mile of residence) to supermarkets and large grocery stores. Although few national studies examining disparities in access exist, research suggests that access is often lower among residents of rural, lower-income, and predominantly minority communities than among residents of other communities. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/other/su6203.pdf

A rural county is any county that is not part of a city with a population of 50,000 people or more. By this definition, 54 of the 75 counties in Arkansas are considered rural. Arkansas is very rural compared to the U.S. as a whole. Only 19 percent of people in the U.S. live in rural areas, compared to 44 percent of the people in Arkansas. People who live in rural areas of Arkansas have higher rates of hunger, because they have limited access to healthy foods, lack of transportation to grocery stores, fewer job opportunities, and more unemployment and underemployment.  Children who live in rural areas of Arkansas have an even higher rate of hunger than adults.  These children are likely to struggle with school and have more health conditions like asthma. The overall food insecurity rate for Arkansas is 17.2%, but ranges from 10.8% in urban areas such as Benton County in far northwest Arkansas to 30.3% in rural counties such as Phillips County in east central Arkansas. 

The relationship between elevated air pollution, particularly fine particulate matter and ozone, and compromised health has been well documented. Negative consequences of ambient air pollution include decreased lung function, chronic bronchitis, asthma, and other adverse pulmonary effects.

Profile Measure Data Source: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2017 County Health Rankings

Recent studies estimate that contaminants in drinking water sicken 1.1 million people each year. Ensuring the safety of drinking water is important to prevent illness, birth defects, and death for those with compromised immune systems. A number of other health problems have been associated with contaminated water, including nausea, lung and skin irritation, cancer, kidney, liver, and nervous system damage.

Profile Measure Data Source: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2017 County Health Rankings

Good health depends on having homes that are safe and free from physical hazards. When adequate housing protects individuals and families from harmful exposures and provides them with a sense of privacy, security, stability and control, it can make important contributions to health. In contrast, poor quality and inadequate housing contributes to health problems such as infectious and chronic diseases, injuries and poor childhood development.

Profile Measure Data Source: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2017 County Health Rankings

More than half of all Arkansans fall into one of three groups that are reliant on public transit. These groups are seniors, people living in poverty and people with disabilities. People in rural areas who do not have their own personal cars have fewer choices when it comes to public transit. 

Food insecurity can negatively affect health, behavioral, and education outcomes for children. Inadequate nutrition can permanently alter a child's brain development causing learning difficulties and poor social skills. Women who are food insecure are more likely to have a low birth weight child. Food deserts are another way to look at the limited access to healthy foods. These are areas where people have limited access to affordable healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, w hole grain products, and low-fat milk. These areas lack grocery stores, but may have many convenience and "dollar" stores that do not stock many healthy foods. Grocery stores are several miles away from many rural areas. Food deserts play a role in food insecurity and are a main cause of hunger in Arkansas. They can also influence the risk of obesity in both children and adults. The presence of grocery stores reduces the risk of obesity in low-income children and adults.

Before the Trauma System Act was passed by the Arkansas legislature in 2009, Arkansas had the worst system of emergency care in the U.S. At that point, Arkansas was one of only three states without a trauma system, and we were the only state without an official trauma center. Since 2009 Arkansas has made great progress in setting up the new trauma system and lowering the number of deaths due to injuries. Hospitals around the state have joined the trauma system as official trauma centers. The ambulance companies around the state have also joined the trauma system. Ambulance companies are also called emergency medical service providers or EMS providers, for short. The hospitals and EMS providers work together to get injured people to the best hospital for their type of injury in the shortest time possible.