05/02/19 – 4:55 A.M.

Drinking and tobacco use were just two of the factors looked at by the 2018 Community Health Assessment. The assessment surveyed adults, teens, and parents of young children to get the information. It showed a decrease in smoking but an increase in drinking.

Only 10% of adults reported smoking, which is down from 13% in 2015. The number of youths that have tried to get cigarettes dropped from 22% to just 10. Youth smokers went from 7% to 4%.

23% of adults reported that they took part in binge drinking in the last month. This is when a male has five or a female has four or more alcoholic drinks on one occasion. This stood at 15% in 2011 and 19% in 2015. On top of this, 5% of those surveyed said that they drove after probably having too much to drink.

You can read more statistics about county health in today’s courier.