At Foundation Sport & Spine, we’re committed to the health and wellness of our Arlington Heights community. We think any caring resident would be interested in knowing how our village compares health-wise to our neighboring communities. To cater to this interest, we analyzed the data from Cook County Health Atlas, a platform co-designed by the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH), and compiled this blog post.
We have been providing exceptional chiropractic care to Arlington Heights residents for over 12 years, helping our community stay healthy. Our experience in the health domain gives us a good understanding of this data and makes us an authority on the topic.
The Cook County Health Atlas takes data from various reputable sources like the Cook County Health Survey (CCHS), the PLACES Project, and the American Community Survey (ACS). Although the data available is very comprehensive, providing data for almost 200 health indicators for Arlington Heights, we limited our blog to about a dozen of those indicators.
The indicators we chose are closely related to our area of expertise and things that we can help with or have been helping with.
Arlington Heights Health Stats at a Glance
Following is a brief summary of the data we will be analyzing in more detail later in this blog:
- 17.36% of Arlington Heights adults and 27.56% of Cook County adults said they DID NOT participate in any physical activities or exercises during the past month.
- 69.21% of Arlington Heights adults and 69.96% of Cook County adults are considered overweight or obese.
- 17.08% of pregnant women in Arlington Heights and 30.59% of pregnant women in Cook County were obese or severely obese before pregnancy.
- 3.72% of Arlington Heights adults and 7.38% of Cook County adults were diagnosed with Rheumatic Disease.
- Per population of 100,000, 120.12 people in Arlington Heights and 146.13 people in Cook County died due to heart disease.
- 3.72% of Arlington Heights adults and 7.38% of Cook County adults reported serious psychological distress in the past 30 days.
- 81.2% of Arlington Heights adults and 68.04% of Cook County adults said the sidewalks in their neighborhood are well-maintained.
- 62.15% of Arlington Heights adults and 54.88% of Cook County adults reported that they were very satisfied with the health care they received in the past year.
Given the above metrics, it should be safe to say that Arlington Heights is much healthier than the rest of Cook County. Except for the adult overweight rate, our community outperforms in every aspect. Below, we analyze each metric in detail.
A Chiropractic Perspective
Different healthcare providers may analyze the data differently. Being chiropractors, we will share our perspective on this data in the following sections.
Physical Inactivity
As per the data, 17.36% of adults in Arlington Heights reported no physical activity or exercise in the past month. Although we would be happier if this number were much lower, it is significantly better than Cook County’s average of 27.56%.
Regular exercise and physical activity support spinal flexibility and reduce back pain. Additionally, pairing exercise with chiropractic adjustment can prevent several other issues as well. We also emphasize the importance of strong core muscles to ensure your spinal health is at its highest.
Historically, physical inactivity rates have gone up both in Arlington Heights and Cook County. This is an unfortunate development, but it could be reversed with more awareness and education. We make sure to stress the importance of staying active to every patient that we receive at our practice.
Adult Obesity Rate
In Arlington Heights, 40.54% of adults had a BMI of 25-30, meaning they were considered overweight. 28.67% of adults had a BMI of 30 or greater, making them obese. Meanwhile, for Cook County, these numbers were 33.94% and 36.02%, respectively.
Combining both numbers, 69.21% of Arlington Heights adults and 69.96% of Cook County adults are overweight or obese. As healthcare providers, these numbers are deeply concerning to us.
More than two-thirds of our society is overweight. This is not just about appearance, as excess weight strains the body in ways that often go unnoticed until the damage is done. It puts extra pressure on the knees, misaligns the spine, and contributes to fatigue among other problems. We see patients every day in our practice facing issues like back pain, stiff joints, and muscle pain that stem from being overweight.
The physical toll transfers over to the mental well-being of the individual as well. Given that about 70% of our community is affected by this problem, it without a doubt impacts the overall mood and vibe of our society.
We do our best to encourage people to stay active to avoid being overweight. Moreover, we strive to provide the highest quality of care to people who are already facing this problem.
Pre-Pregnancy Obesity
About 14.73% of mothers in Arlington Heights were reported to have a measured BMI of 30.9-39.9 before pregnancy, and were considered obese. Additionally, 2.35% had a BMI of greater than 40, considered severely obese. For the rest of Cook County, the average numbers were 24.94% and 5.65%, respectively.
Combining both of these numbers, we get that the pre-pregnancy obesity rate in Arlington Heights was 17.08%. While for Cook County, this number is 30.59%. This puts Arlington Heights in a significantly better position compared to other places in Cook County.
All the same problems we mentioned for obese adults previously will apply in this case. However, being pregnant means carrying more weight, so the risk of issues like back pain and joint stress increases. At our clinic, we provide chiropractic care to help pregnant women manage their discomfort.
Rheumatic Disease Rate
As per the data from 2022-2023, 3.72% of adults in Arlington Heights and 7.385% of adults in Cook County were diagnosed with Rheumatic Disease. We seem to be doing very well in this regard.
Rheumatic diseases are a group of chronic autoimmune, inflammatory, and degenerative conditions that affect joints and muscles, causing pain, swelling, and stiffness.
Research shows that chiropractic care can benefit people affected by Rheumatic Disease by providing relief from joint pain and improving overall joint function.
Heart Disease Mortality
In Arlington Heights, there were 120.12 deaths related to heart disease per 100,000 population. This number is slightly higher for Cook County at 146.13.
Although we are not heart doctors, we can still help keep hearts healthy. Poor spinal health can contribute to circulatory issues, so maintaining proper alignment through chiropractic care may support cardiovascular wellness.
Psychological Distress Rate
3.72% of adults in Arlington Heights and 7.38% of adults in Cook County reported serious psychological distress. This metric was based on “how often they felt nervous, hopeless, restless or fidgety, depressed, worthless, or that everything was an effort in the past 30 days”.
This rate for Arlington Heights is almost half that of the Cook County average, and that’s a very good thing.
These issues are related to the mental well-being of an individual. However, we have seen that chronic stress can lead to physical issues like muscle tension, headaches, and poor posture. Chiropractic adjustment can help with these physical issues caused by psychological distress.
Sidewalk Quality Rate
It’s a good thing that 81.2% of Arlington Heights residents say that their neighborhood sidewalks are well-maintained. This number is, however, much lower for Cook County at 68.04%.
Better sidewalks encourage walking and outdoor activities. Regular activity is the key to joint health and spinal flexibility. This may also be a contributor to our better physical activity rates compared to other places in Cook County mentioned earlier in the blog.
Safe walking paths also reduce the risk of falling and getting injured. We always encourage people to go for regular walks to ensure their spines are in their finest state.
Healthcare Satisfaction Rate
62.15% of adults in Arlington Heights stated that they were very satisfied with the healthcare they received in the past year. The number is slightly lower for Cook County at about 54.88%.
Even though we are doing better than many of our neighbors, this number is still very low. We believe that by providing personalized care to patients and addressing individual issues rather than cookie-cutter treatments, which unfortunately many places apply, we can improve this statistic.
Foundation Sport & Spine makes sure to play its part completely in this regard by serving the individual needs of every patient that visits us. Our 4.9-star rating on Google is an indicator of high patient satisfaction at our chiropractic clinic and the quality care we provide to each patient.
Conclusion
These numbers tell us that Arlington Heights is much healthier than Cook County in general. We have an active lifestyle, better mental health, and lower chronic diseases. Our well-maintained sidewalks encourage essential physical activities like walking, and our higher healthcare satisfaction shows quality medical access.
Although very healthy, the majority (~70%) of our adult community members are considered overweight, which we believe is a matter of concern.
We strive to provide quality healthcare to every Arlington Heights resident and any patient who visits us, even from neighboring towns. If you or any of your loved ones are in need of care, give us a call at (847) 342-3000 or book an appointment online.