Key Findings 

APPALACHIAN GEORGIA 

HEALTH 

DISPARITIES

1 

MORTALITY 

Heart Disease Deaths 

 Appalachian Georgia’s heart disease mortality rate is 1 percent 

lower than the national rate and 8 percent lower than the rate in nonAppalachian Georgia. 

Cancer Deaths 

 Appalachian Georgia’s cancer mortality rate is 1 percent lower than 

the national rate and 3 percent lower than the rate in nonAppalachian Georgia. 

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Deaths 

 Appalachian Georgia’s COPD mortality rate is 14 percent higher 

than the national rate and 11 percent higher than the rate in nonAppalachian Georgia. 

Injury Deaths 

 Appalachian Georgia’s injury mortality rate is 7 percent higher than the national rate and 6 

percent higher than the rate in non-Appalachian Georgia.

Stroke Deaths 

 Appalachian Georgia’s stroke mortality rate is 11 percent higher than the national rate and 5 

percent lower than the rate in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Diabetes Deaths 

 Appalachian Georgia’s diabetes mortality rate is 19 percent lower than the national rate and 26 

percent lower than the rate in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Years of Potential Life Lost 

 Appalachian Georgia’s YPLL rate is 1 percent lower than the national rate and 14 percent 

lower than the rate in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

MORBIDITY 

Physically Unhealthy Days 

 The average adult in Appalachian Georgia reports feeling physically unhealthy the same as the 

average American and 8 percent less often than the average adult in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Mentally Unhealthy Days 

 The average adult in Appalachian Georgia reports feeling mentally unhealthy 3 percent more 

often than the average American and 5 percent less often than the average adult in nonAppalachian Georgia. 

 APPALACHIAN GEORGIA 
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HEALTH IN APPALACHIA Key Findings | APPALACHIAN GEORGIA

2 

HIV Prevalence 

 Appalachian Georgia’s HIV rate is 54 percent lower than the national rate and 74 percent lower 

than the rate in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Diabetes Prevalence 

 The prevalence of diabetes in Appalachian Georgia is 10.5 percent, a mark higher than the 9.8 

percent experienced by the nation as a whole, but lower than the 10.8 percent experienced in 

non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Obesity Prevalence 

 The prevalence of adult obesity is 28.5 percent in Appalachian Georgia, a mark higher than the 

27.4 percent experienced in the nation as a whole, but slightly lower than the 29.2 percent 

experienced in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 

Depression Prevalence 

 The prevalence of depression among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries in Appalachian 

Georgia is 15.4 percent, compared to 15.4 percent for the United States as a whole and 14.1 

percent for non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Suicide Incidence 

 The suicide rate in Appalachian Georgia is 6 percent higher than the national rate, and 16 

percent higher than the rate in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Excessive Drinking 

 The percentage of adults reporting excessive drinking in Appalachian Georgia (16.1 percent) is 

lower than in the nation as a whole (17.7 percent), but higher than the percentage in nonAppalachian Georgia (15.7). 

Poisoning Deaths 

 The poisoning mortality rate in Appalachian Georgia is 3 percent lower than the national rate, 

and 28 percent higher than the rate in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Opioid Prescription Rates 

 Of all Medicare prescription claims in Appalachian Georgia, 5.9 percent are for opioids, 

compared to 5.3 percent in the United States as a whole, and 6.1 percent in non-Appalachian 

Georgia. 

CHILD HEALTH 

Infant Mortality 

 The infant mortality rate is 5 percent lower in Appalachian Georgia than in the nation as a whole, 

and 24 percent lower than in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Low Birth Weight Incidence 

 The incidence of low birth weight in Appalachian Georgia is 8.0 percent of all newborns, a lower 

percentage than both the national average of 8.1 percent, and the non-Appalachian Georgia 

average of 10.0. 
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HEALTH IN APPALACHIA Key Findings | APPALACHIAN GEORGIA

3 

Teen Birth Rate 

 The teen birth rate in Appalachian Georgia is 8 percent higher than the national rate and 16 

percent lower than the rate in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

COMMUNITY CHARACTERISTICS 

Average Travel Time to Work 

 The average travel time to work in Appalachian Georgia is 29.2 minutes, which is higher than 

the national average of 25.7 minutes, and higher than the average in non-Appalachian Georgia 

of 26.0 minutes. 

Grocery Store Availability 

 There are 24 percent fewer grocery stores per 1,000 population in Appalachian Georgia than in 

the United States as a whole, and 11 percent fewer than in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Student-Teacher Ratio 

 Appalachian Georgia’s student-teacher ratio is 16.1, which is a lower (better) ratio than the 

national average of 16.5, and a higher (worse) ratio than the non-Appalachian Georgia average 

of 15.5. 

LIFESTYLE 

Physical Inactivity 

 In Appalachian Georgia, 24.9 percent of people report being physically inactive, a figure higher 

than the 23.1 percent reported in the United States as a whole and the 24.5 percent reported in 

non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Smoking 

 In Appalachian Georgia, 15.4 percent of all adults report being cigarette smokers, a figure 

lower than the 16.3 percent at the national level, and the 16.6 percent in non-Appalachian 

Georgia. 

Chlamydia Rate 

 Chlamydia incidence in Appalachian Georgia is 56 percent lower than the national average, and 

54 percent lower than the average in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS 

Primary Care Physicians 

 The supply of primary care physicians per 100,000 population in Appalachian Georgia is 35 

percent lower than the national average, and 32 percent lower than the average in nonAppalachian Georgia. 

Mental Health Providers 

 The supply of mental health providers per 100,000 population in Appalachian Georgia is 64 

percent lower than the national average, and 48 percent lower than the average in nonAppalachian Georgia. 
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HEALTH IN APPALACHIA Key Findings | APPALACHIAN GEORGIA

4 

Specialty Physicians 

 The supply of specialty physicians per 100,000 population in Appalachian Georgia is 61 

percent lower than the national average, and 61 percent lower than the average in nonAppalachian Georgia. 

Dentists 

 The supply of dentists per 100,000 population in Appalachian Georgia is 39 percent lower than 

the national average, and 24 percent lower than the average in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Uninsured Population 

 The percentage of the population under age 65 that is uninsured in Appalachian Georgia is 21.9 

percent, which is higher (worse) than the national average of 16.8 percent, and the nonAppalachian Georgia average of 20.9 percent. 

Heart Disease Hospitalizations 

 Hospitalization rates for heart disease in Appalachian Georgia are 6 percent higher than the 

national average, and 6 percent higher than the average in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Hospitalizations 

 Hospitalization rates for COPD in Appalachian Georgia are 14 percent higher than the national 

average, and 15 percent higher than the average in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

QUALITY OF CARE 

Electronic Prescribing 

 Electronic prescribing is less common in Appalachian Georgia (56.7 percent of prescriptions) 

than in the nation as a whole (65.8 percent), and less common than in non-Appalachian Georgia 

(62.3 percent of prescriptions). 

Mammogram Screenings 

 The percentage of Medicare-covered women undergoing mammogram screenings in 

Appalachian Georgia is lower than the percentage at the national level. In Appalachian 

Georgia, 61.3 percent of Medicare-covered women ages 67 to 69 have had a recent 

mammogram, compared to the 62.1 percent reported in the nation as a whole, and the 61.6 

percent in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Diabetes Monitoring 

 Diabetes monitoring is higher among Medicare patients in Appalachian Georgia (87.0 percent) 

than among Medicare patients in the United States as a whole (84.7 percent), and among 

Medicare patients in non-Appalachian Georgia (84.6 percent). 

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS 

Median Household Income 

 The median household income in Appalachian Georgia is 2 percent less than the national 

median, and 12 percent higher than the median income in non-Appalachian Georgia. 
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HEALTH IN APPALACHIA Key Findings | APPALACHIAN GEORGIA

5 

Poverty 

 The household poverty rate is 14.8 percent in Appalachian Georgia, a figure lower than the 

national rate of 15.6 percent, and lower than the 20.2 percent in non-Appalachian Georgia. 

Disability 

 The percentage of people receiving disability benefits is lower in Appalachian Georgia (4.4 

percent) than in the United States as a whole (5.1 percent) and in non-Appalachian Georgia (5.6 

percent). 

Education 

 In Appalachian Georgia, 56.7 percent of adults ages 25 to 44 have some type of post-secondary 

education, compared to the 63.3 percent in the nation as a whole and the 62.1 percent in nonAppalachian Georgia. 

Social Associations 

 The social association rate in Appalachian Georgia is 12 percent lower than the rate found in 

the nation as a whole, and 12 percent lower than the rate in non-Appalachian Georgia.