Study Shows South County in Good Health

South County residents are among the healthiest in St. Louis County, according to a new study released by the Department of Health that separated the county into four regions.

In the study, South County was defined as Mehlville, Oakville, Affton, Bella Villa, Concord, Crestwood, Fenton, Grantwood Village, Green Park, Lakeshire, Lemay, Mackenzie, Marlborough, Sappington, Shrewsbury, St. George, Sunset Hills, Webster Groves and Wilbur Park.

The rest of the county was divided into North, Mid and West County areas.

South County ranked the second lowest in smokers, obesity and cancer patients behind West County in the study.

In Dec. 2010, the health department contracted with the University of New England’s center for Community and Public Health (CCPH) to conduct a countywide health assessment. The study surveyed residents as well as researched population, hospital visits and disease data.

A total of 2,149 surveys were completed, with 530 in South County.

The data looked at several aspects of health, from insurance to doctor accessibility, to cancer registry, accidents and alcohol use.

South County tied West County for the lowest rate of automobile accidents and mortality rates, but had the highest percentage of residents with high cholesterol in the county.

The study found that 27 percent of St. Louis County residents were obese. In South County, 25 percent of its residents suffered from obesity, but the area also had the lowest percentage of inactive or sedentary lifestyles with 19 percent. North County had the highest with 29 percent of inactive residents.

While South County ranked favorably in most health issues, it showed a higher-than-average alcohol use. Sixteen percent of adults in South County reported binge drinking in the survey, while the county average was 14 percent. Binge drinking was slightly elevated in both Mid and South Counties, especially among adults ages 18 to 64.

Read the entire study.