April 28, 2005

The Yellow Springs Community Healt Project Final Report can be viewed at the Yellow Springs Library, the Glen Helen Building and Village offices. An online version is available at: http://fc.antioch.edu/ ~communityhealth_survey

By Lauren Heaton

According to the results of the Yellow Springs Community Health Project, about a third of the 543 villagers sampled have been diagnosed with allergies, a number twice the national average. Four out of five people surveyed feel that Yellow Springs is a healthy place to live, but many distrust the information they have about the environment here. Three-quarters of Yellow Springers eat organic and locally grown foods as much as possible and feel that having access to open space is important to maintaining good health.

The range of health data collected by the coordinator of the survey, Ann Filemyr, and volunteers from Antioch College and the village, is the first of its kind for Yellow Springs.

Conducted from January to September 2004, the survey was funded through an $18,000 state-mandated grant from YSI Incorporated to initiate a holistic and participatory investigation of the health of the village. The survey was not designed to be exhaustive, but rather provide a snapshot of the health and health attitudes of the village that could serve as a foundation to build on, said Filemyr, the dean of faculty at Antioch.

“We wanted to provide information that could be used for initiatives by existing and future groups,” she said last week. “The purpose of this study is to be of use. That’s the agenda and hopefully people will take advantage of it.”

The results of the survey were presented last Wednesday. Jim Tomlinson, a senior at Antioch who served as an editorial intern at the News this term, was the project’s research assistant. The project benefited from the help of villagers Marilan Moir, Joan Horn, Bill Mischler, Joyce Morrissey, Bill Greenwaldt and Walt Tulecke, and support from Antioch students, staff and faculty.

According to the 100-page report, allergies were by far the most frequently diagnosed condition among respondents. Of those surveyed, 31 percent experienced allergies, a rate that is double the national average, the report says. The incidence of high blood pressure is nearly three times higher among African-American respondents than among white respondents, a disparity that mirrors national statistics. One in four respondents has been diagnosed with mental illness, and 14 percent had depression, twice the national rate.

Filemyr said the data strongly suggests that villagers should investigate more thoroughly the severity, frequency and impact on quality of life these health issues pose. The report’s conclusion also advises that local residents find the socioeconomic factors that correlate with the health conditions villagers face.

Though the cancer incidence among the survey sample is 5 percent above the national average, the report found that 70 percent of those surveyed are affected by caring for others with cancer and mental illness more than any of the other illnesses mentioned.

Health insurance data was also a part of the survey. The report shows that 6 percent of respondents are uninsured, while one-fourth of those 18 to 24 years old are uninsured. The report recommends the community work to make insurance available to all village residents.

In addition to the more sobering data, Yellow Springs also has positive attributes to capitalize on. Among those surveyed, two-thirds achieve the weekly two and a half hours of exercise recommended for adults, while only one-third of American adults meet the standard. Nearly half of the respondents also eat organic and locally grown food as much as possible, while very few regularly consumed canned or fast food.

The village also seems to be doing some things right. Over 88 percent of survey respondents said that the village provides sufficient open space, safety, opportunity for personal development and access to supportive relationships and public participation.

Filemyr said that these numbers are most useful in guiding, for instance, the community’s growth and economic development process. Since fresh organic food is important to a large portion of the village, local officials should plan spaces to accommodate that need, she said. Growing Yellow Springs in ways that allow proximity to green space might also be a smart move, she said.

Designed to capitalize on community participation, the health survey was administered by community members and included narrative, open-ended questions meant to spark conversation between interviewer and study subject. This democratic research method has proven effective in creating dialogue among community members in what Filemyr calls “third spaces” such as grocery store lines and doctor’s waiting rooms. This process serves to generate interest from a broad group of people, who might then act on a particular issue or arrange a formal discussion, she said.

According to Filemyr, the narrative responses also produced some “surprising, insightful and creative definitions” of health, such as one respondent’s idea that “health is to have a clear mind and a body free from illness and problems, and a healthy environment to live in outdoors and indoors, and a heart that’s beating a good rhythm so you can accomplish all of your goals.”

Through other open-ended questions in the survey, respondents were able to suggest the things they thought would most improve the health of Yellow Springs. A majority said affordable housing was the most important way to improve the village, followed by ecological sustainability and health care resources.

“I would like to see more community consciousness: more local people employed locally, which creates community, more local people shopping locally, more self-employment, more gardening, a weekly village flea market and more people walking instead of driving,” one respondent said.

Filemyr said she is satisfied with the outcome of the project and is pleased to have been able to use YSI’s grant money to leave something useful to the village. She noted that she would be thrilled to see different public and private groups use the study to fuel their own projects and initiatives to serve the village.

Whether it is another, more detailed health study, a project on health care coverage or a housing project, the survey is a resource to use for discussions and decision making, she said. Filemyr will be available to make presentations and explain the implications of the study to groups that request it.

The health project is sending 800 copies of the final report around town. The report is also available in the Yellow Springs Library, the Glen Helen Building, Village offices and online at fc.antioch.edu/~communityhealth_survey. Comments and questions can also be sent to yshealthsurvey@antioch-college.edu.